Taiwan calls China’s diplomats ‘hooligan’ for attacking its diplomats in Fiji
DHARAMSALA, 20 Oct: Taiwan has labelled China’s diplomats in Fiji as “hooligans” after they allegedly attacked the former’s diplomats while celebrating an event to celebrate their national day earlier this month.
“China’s officials posted overseas are acting like hooligans; beating people is not acceptable. We sternly condemn this,” Taiwan’s Premier Su Tseng-chang was quoted as saying in media reports.
Su has further described what the Chinese diplomats did was “barbaric act” and that the world needed to see what China was capable of.
“We strongly condemn the violence against our diplomat in Fiji by China’s uncivilized ‘wolf warriors,” Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu Twitted late on Monday.
The Minister has further said that Taiwan won’t be intimidated and that “as a sovereign state, we’ll continue celebrating Taiwan National Day everywhere, every year.”
Taiwan has alleged that two Chinese embassy officials gate-crashed the event to celebrate Taiwan National Day to take pictures and collect information on who was attending the event on 8 Oct earlier this month.
The incident which took place at Taiwan’s trade office in Fiji – its de facto embassy – during a reception for some 100 distinguished guests in the luxurious Grand Pacific Hotel in the Fijian capital Suva, media reports said, has resulted in a Taiwanese staffer being sent to a hospital with a head injury while it has also left one of the Chinese diplomats injured as well.
China has however disputed Taiwan’s claim about the alleged incident and instead accused the latter of acting provocatively against the Chinese Embassy staff.
“On that very evening, the staff of the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji acted provocatively against Chinese Embassy staff who were carrying out their official duties in the public area outside the function venue, causing injuries and damage to one Chinese Diplomat,” read a statement issued by China’s embassy in Fiji
Beijing claims self-ruled and democratic Taiwan as its own and views it as a wayward province to be reunified with China by force if necessary.
