Taiwan's labor minister will become the first ministry head under President Lai Ching-te to set foot in China, a small thaw in tone but a fresh flashpoint over how Taiwan is named and treated.

• Hung Sun-han will travel to Nanjing this month for an APEC meeting on workforce policy.
• He is the first full minister in the Lai government to visit China, at a time when relations across the Taiwan Strait are tense.
• Beijing says it will handle his attendance under its "one China" principle; Taipei says its membership is full and cannot be downgraded.
• Hung previously criticized Beijing over Hong Kong and Tibet, so his security and treatment were reviewed with Taiwan's foreign ministry and national security agencies.
• A Taiwanese trade delegation went to an APEC meeting in Suzhou earlier this year without incident, which Taipei is treating as the template.

Outlook: The trip will likely go ahead, with the real test being whether China hosts Taiwan as an equal member or stages a snub over its name and status.