TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Host country Peru removed ads for Taiwan welcoming travelers arriving at Lima airport for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings, reports said Friday (Nov. 14).

Legislators asked the government to lodge a protest with the government of Peru, and to publicly explain China’s role in the affair. A national security official told media the ads only stayed up for one week before Beijing succeeded in having them taken down, Radio Taiwan International reported.

The blue ads with a semiconductor motif showed the name “Taiwan” in large letters above the phrase “Chip in with Taiwan for Global Prosperity” and the APEC summit slogan “Empower – Include – Grow.” Similar billboards were also seen on buildings in the Peruvian capital.

Legislators from both ruling and opposition camps called on Peru to resist unreasonable pressure and to respect Taiwan’s existence as a full APEC member economy. The fact that not all ads in Peru had been taken down amounted to a limited form of success, according to lawmakers.

Taiwan is represented at the APEC meetings by former Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i (林信義), as Chinese pressure prevents Taiwan’s presidents from attending annual summits of the trade organization.