Jakarta, CNN Indonesia –
Taiwan stated his diplomat was involved in physical clashes with two diplomats China in an event in the Pacific Islands country, Fiji.
Taiwan said that Chinese diplomats forced their way into the event held by the Taiwanese representative office in Suva, Fiji on (8/10).
The Taipei Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that at that time its representative office had a party in the capital of Fiji, Suva, to celebrate National Taiwan Day at the Grand Pacific Hotel.
Then two diplomats from the Chinese embassy in Fiji suddenly arrived and started taking photos of the guests. When asked to leave, the two diplomats then beat a Taiwanese diplomat and had to be rushed to the hospital.
“We strongly condemn the actions of the staff at the Chinese embassy in Fiji for seriously violating the rule of law and a civilized code of conduct,” said Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesman Joanne Ou, Monday (19/10).
Reported AFP, Ou added that the Taiwan representative office had submitted evidence to the Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local police, as well as lodged a protest at the Chinese embassy.
A Fijian police spokesman said an investigation into the incident was ongoing and it was already working with Fiji’s foreign ministry.
He declined to provide further details and Fiji’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Taipei said the Chinese diplomats were taken away by police and “falsely claiming” that they had been attacked. Taiwan says the alleged clash is the first physical confrontation between members of the Beijing and Taipei diplomatic mission.
Wang Ting-yu, a lawmaker from Taiwan’s ruling party who sits on the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said he was shocked and angry at the attacks.
“We cannot allow China to bully by doing whatever it wants,” he tweeted.
Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Harry Ho-Jen Tseng said a Taiwanese diplomat had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion at the hospital.
“Unexpectedly, the Chinese officials not only refused to listen, they also beat our personnel, and were eventually taken away from the scene by the Fijian police,” Harry was quoted as saying. ABC Australia.
Relations between China and Taiwan have been at their lowest point in recent decades.
Chinese leaders see Taiwan as part of their territory and promise to seize the 23 million-island island by force if necessary.
Under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, Beijing became increasingly hostile to Taiwan. Since Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, diplomatic and military pressure has risen.
Tsai comes from a party that views Taiwan as a de facto sovereign state and not part of “one China”.
Over the past four years, Beijing has captured seven diplomatic allies of Taiwan and only 15 countries in the world have officially recognized the island. Most of these are small countries in Latin America and the Pacific.
Fiji has long been China’s loyal ally and was the first Pacific island nation to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1975.
China has also locked out Taiwan from major international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO).
Over the past two years, Chinese diplomats have increasingly used Western-made social media platforms and news media to defend Beijing’s policies, a tactic dubbed “wolf warrior diplomacy.”
(years / dea)
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