WION, the international channel of India’s commercial TV station Zee News, responded strongly to Chinese interference in the station’s coverage of Taiwan by saying that respect is always a two-way street, and that if China wants other countries to respect its sovereignty, it should first respect India’s. On Wednesday, WION interviewed Foreign Minister Wu Zhao Xie, causing displeasure on the part of China.
On Wednesday, WION interviewed Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu Zhao Xie, causing discontent in China. The Chinese Embassy in India immediately protested to the Indian side. In a five-page letter of protest, the Chinese embassy pointed out that Taiwan is a part of China and the WION TV channel should not give a platform to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which advocates Taiwan’s independence.
The letter also said that the interview violated the Indian government’s position on cross-strait relations in the Taiwan Strait and sent a “completely wrong message” to the Indian people. The Chinese Embassy also said that China’s diplomatic allies should “resolutely abide by their commitment to the one-China principle.
This is the latest in a series of three diplomatic disputes this month between Indian media and Chinese officials over their coverage of Taiwan.
The first was during Taiwan’s Double Ten National Day, when two Indian mainstream media outlets ran special reports. The Chinese Embassy in India protested the incident and instructed the Indian media on the proper way to conduct their Taiwan coverage. The Chinese letter of protest pointed out that since Taiwan is a part of China, Tsai Ing-wen should not be referred to as “President of Taiwan” but as “Leader of Taiwan”.
The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi immediately protested to the Indian government that the Indian media had violated the one-China principle.
Palki Sharma, editor-in-chief of the WION channel and host of the interview with Wu Zhaoxie, responded to the Chinese Embassy’s accusations in a Twitter post. She said that China continues to violate India’s territorial integrity and does not adhere to the “One India” principle.
The tweet said: “What about One India (policy)? Can China recognize Kashmir, Ladakh, and Arunachal Padesh as Indian territory? Respect for sovereignty is a two-way street.”
Sharma also said she was pleased with this interview with Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu Zhao Xie.
Indian journalists and politicians are deeply offended by the Chinese diplomatic establishment’s frequent interventions in India’s press freedom, saying that China, without freedom of speech, has no understanding of press freedom in a democracy.
Commenting on China’s interference in India’s media, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Srivastava made it clear that Indian media companies are free to report what they see fit.
In June of this year, relations between India and China rapidly deteriorated after bloody clashes between Indian and Chinese troops along the Ladakh border. The public perception of China in India has also become more negative. Observers say that this change also seems to have affected the Indian media and civil society’s perception of Taiwan. They are sympathetic to Taiwan’s oppression by China and admire Taiwan’s technological development. Against this backdrop, there has been a marked increase in coverage of Taiwan in the Indian media.
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