Taiwan's labour minister will become the first minister-level official of the Lai government to travel to China, a small but notable thaw in cross-strait relations.

• Labour Minister Hung Sun-han will attend the APEC human resources development ministerial meeting in Nanjing on 21 September.
• He is the first minister-level official to visit China since Lai Ching-te took office.
• New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih backed the trip, saying the two sides should replace confrontation with dialogue.
• Hou said any format that helps keep the strait stable is what people want, though he stopped short of calling it an olive branch from Beijing.

Outlook: The visit will be watched as a test of whether Beijing is willing to allow more official contact with Taipei.