Taiwan denounces mainland China for ‘brutal and irrational actions’ after spat in Fiji ends with worker in hospital

Taipei says altercation was sparked by Chinese embassy staff gatecrashing Suva reception and trying to photograph guests

Beijing and Taipei both claim their representatives were victims at October 8 event

Reading Time:3 minutes

An event hosted on October 8 by the Taipei Trade Office to celebrate Taiwan’s national holiday was held at the Grand Pacific Hotel, Suva, Fiji. Photo: Grubsheet Feejee

Published: 1:52pm, 19 Oct 2020Updated: 6:33am, 20 Oct 2020

Taipei and Beijing have accused each other of assaulting their government representatives in Fiji, in a further rise in tension following an altercation at an event in the South Pacific country this month celebrating Taiwan’s national holiday.

Harry Tseng Ho-jen, Taiwan’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, told the Legislative Yuan on Monday that two members of China’s embassy in Fiji had tried on October 8 to forcibly enter a reception held by the Taiwanese representative office in Fiji’s capital Suva, and take photos of attendees.

The mainland diplomats clashed physically with a Taiwanese staffer at the Grand Pacific Hotel event who tried to stop them and was later treated in hospital for concussion, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

Tseng said the mainland diplomats had been taken away from the scene by local police. He said that the Taiwanese representative office had reported the incident to Fiji’s foreign ministry and police but said it might be processed more slowly because the two governments did not have formal diplomatic relations, and noted that the Fiji government was “under a lot of political pressure”.

Harry Tseng Ho-jen, deputy minister of foreign affairs of Taiwan. Photo: Radio Taiwan International

Tseng accused China of carrying out “brutal and irrational actions to damage peace and rationality” and said Taiwan’s foreign ministry had urged its representative offices around the world to be alert to “increasingly aggressive” behaviour by Chinese diplomats. Asked whether similar events had occurred in the past, Tseng said it had “never been so serious”.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x

Taiwan denounces mainland China for ‘brutal and irrational actions’ after spat in Fiji ends with worker in hospital

Taipei says altercation was sparked by Chinese embassy staff gatecrashing Suva reception and trying to photograph guests Beijing and Taipei both claim their representatives were victims at October 8 event

Taipei says altercation was sparked by Chinese embassy staff gatecrashing Suva reception and trying to photograph guests

Beijing and Taipei both claim their representatives were victims at October 8 event