BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -China's foreign ministry has dismissed safety concerns raised by Taiwan about its hosting of the APEC summit next year, but said the island's participation rests on its compliance with established practice and the "one China" principle.

Both sides of the Taiwan Strait are girding for would be the most difficult seaborne invasion since World War II.

Chinas Foreign Ministry has dismissed Taiwans concerns regarding the safety of participants in the upcoming 2026 APEC summit, set to be held in Shenzhen, southern China. The ministry emphasized that Taiwans

China "absolutely will not" rule out using force over Taiwan, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday, striking a much tougher tone than a series of articles in state media this week that pledged benign rule if the island comes over to Beijing.

China has announced a new holiday called the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration, as part of its claims over the self-ruled island.

It says Taiwan's participation rests on its compliance with established practice and the “one China” principle. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Taiwan's representative to last weekend's APEC summit rebuffed Chinese protests on Monday about his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi while there, saying that it was "very normal" for him to meet leaders attending.