WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Taiwan must be allowed full and equal participation when China hosts APEC next year, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday, after Taipei complained that Beijing had “added a lot of conditions” to its attendance.

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation is one of the only international bodies Chinese-claimed Taiwan is a member of, and next November’s summit in Shenzhen will come as relations between Taipei and Beijing have plummeted amid a stepped-up Chinese military pressure campaign against the island.

China’s foreign ministry said this week that Taiwan’s participation in APEC activities must comply with the “one China” principle, which Beijing views as meaning both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one country, something Taipei’s government rejects.

A State

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