Taiwan’s APEC representative invites Biden to visit island

By Eduardo Baptista

LIMA (Reuters) -Taiwan’s representative at an Asia-Pacific summit met U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday and invited him to visit Taiwan in the near future, with the two men having a “lively” exchange of views, the island’s delegation to the summit said.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum is one of the few international meetings both Taiwan and China take part it, though Taiwan does not send its president, given China’s objections. Beijing views the island as its own territory with no right to state-to-state relations.

Meeting on the sidelines of APEC summit in Lima, Taiwan’s representative Lin Hsin-i thanked Biden for his contributions to promoting U.S.-Taiwan relations over the past four years, Taiwan’s delegation said in a statement.

Lin, chairman of government-backed investment fund Taiwania Capital and also a former economy minister, “warmly invited President Biden to visit Taiwan at his convenience in the near future”, it added.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listened in on the conversation, the short statement said.

A Biden administration official downplayed the interaction, describing it as a “just a handshake” in the plenary room.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden, who steps down on Jan. 20 when Donald Trump is inaugurated president, planned to visit.

Taiwan and the U.S. have had high-level interactions at previous APEC summits, including last year in San Francisco.

Lin met Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday to exchange views on the continued strengthening of the Taiwan-U.S. partnership at all levels, Taiwan’s delegation said.

“They also exchanged views on how to ensure peace and stability in the region and jointly promote the prosperity and development of the region and Taiwan’s friends. The overall atmosphere of the talks was warm,” it added.

There was no immediate comment from the State Department.

Blinken mentioned Taiwan in a speech on Friday, as a participant – with the United States, Australia, Japan and New Zealand – to install undersea cables for better digital access across the Pacific Islands.

The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, though Washington cut formal diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979 in favour of Beijing.

Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.

(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by William Mallard)