China warns Indian media not to call Taiwan a country. Internet reacts by calling it a country

Politicians and web users post messages of support for the island after the embassy warned journalists about their coverage of the Double Tenth holiday

Feelings were already running high amid a prolonged border stand-off and the message appears to have poured fuel on the fire

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A local politician plastered posters of the Taiwanese flag outside the Chinese embassy in New Delhi. Photo: Twitter

Published: 6:00pm, 12 Oct 2020Updated: 6:17pm, 12 Oct 2020

Indian politicians and members of the public have shared messages of support for Taiwan following a warning from the Chinese embassy about its coverage of Taiwanese issues.

India and China are locked in a border stand-off in the Himalayas, including a clash that left 20 Indian troops dead, and the warning not to cross China’s red lines when covering the island’s Double Tenth holiday appears to have further inflamed public opinion.

In response, members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and other internet users shared messages of support for the island during the October 10 holiday – which marks the anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of China – using hashtags such as #TaiwanIsACountry and #TaiwanNationalDay.

Y Satya Kumar, national secretary of the BJP, tweeted that India “stands in solidarity with the courage, strength and resolve” of the Taiwanese people “against colonialism and oppression by the imperial power”.

The messages came despite protestations from China’s embassy in New Delhi, whose spokeswoman Ji Rong said on Saturday that Taiwan was an “inalienable part of China” and opposed any actions that suggested Taiwanese independence.