Taiwan is sending a cabinet minister to China for the first time under the Lai government, and Beijing and Taipei are already clashing over the terms — a tense but so far manageable moment for cross-strait relations.

• Labor Minister Hung Sun-han will attend an APEC human resources meeting in Nanjing on Sept. 22–24, becoming the first Taiwanese minister to visit China under President Lai.
• China's Taiwan Affairs Office said it will handle "the Taiwan region's" participation according to the "one China principle" and APEC precedent.
• Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council pushed back, saying Taiwan is a full APEC member whose standing cannot be downgraded and that no "one China" precondition exists.
• Beijing dodged direct questions about guaranteeing the minister's personal safety, repeating the same line instead.
• Over 300 Taiwanese officials have already traveled to China for APEC meetings since December under arrangements negotiated between the two sides, without incident.

Outlook: The dispute over Taiwan's status is likely to sharpen ahead of the APEC leaders' summit that China hosts in November.