Taiwan and China on Tuesday (Oct. 20) continued to blame each other for a recent physical altercation between their diplomats in Fiji, but acted with restraint. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reportedly completed the process of filing a police report with Fiji, but no charges have been filed. Beijing, on the other hand, has reported the incident to the Fijian police, but has withdrawn its complaint.
Chinese Embassy personnel in Fiji are accused of breaking into a “Double Ten” National Day reception hosted by Taiwan on October 8 and causing a physical altercation. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said on its website that the Taiwanese diplomat who was pushed by Chinese embassy personnel suffered a mild concussion and has since been discharged from the hospital with no major medical problems.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu Zhao-sheep tweeted on Tuesday, “We strongly condemn China’s uncivilized ‘wolf war’ of violence against our diplomats. As a sovereign nation, we will continue to celebrate the Double Ten National Day every year around the world. Taiwan is a force for justice in the world and we will not be intimidated.”
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ou Jiang-an said Tuesday that the incident was caused by a brutal act of Chinese wolf-warfare diplomacy, which was at fault for attempting to force its way into the National Day reception and secretly filming the gathering of guest information. She said the Chinese diplomacy’s brutality in Fiji has caused outrage in Taiwan regardless of party affiliation, and the international community’s general disgust with China’s “war-wolf diplomacy,” and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan once again called on the Chinese foreign ministry to conduct a profound review.
Taiwan has formally filed a complaint with the Fiji Police Department to complete the necessary procedures before filing a lawsuit, but has not yet filed a formal complaint, Ou said. However, if the Chinese side continues to take any unfavorable steps against Taiwan or continues to spread false information, Taiwan will not compromise and will pursue the matter to the end, O’Connor said.
On Tuesday, Taiwan’s Lianhe Zaobao and the Free Press reported that Beijing had withdrawn its complaint following mediation by the Fijian Foreign Ministry. Previously, Fijian media reported that local police confirmed that they had received a report from Chinese embassy personnel and asked them to investigate the case.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied Taiwan’s allegations and accused Taiwan of violating Fiji’s “One China” principle.
The Chinese Embassy in Fiji said in a statement on its official website that it was the Taiwanese who initiated the verbal provocation and physical confrontation against the Chinese Embassy personnel, resulting in the physical injury of one Chinese diplomat and damage to his belongings.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also reiterated that it was the Chinese Embassy personnel who were attacked. According to a Monday report in the People’s Daily, the official media of the Chinese Communist Party, Zhao Lijian said that Taiwan does not have any so-called “diplomats” in Fiji, that the Fijian government has long adhered to the “one China” principle, and that the report “is completely inconsistent with the facts. “China asked Fiji to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, and Fiji also said it takes China’s concerns seriously and will abide by the “One China” principle to properly handle the matter.
Zhao Lijian also accused Taiwan of displaying its national flag at the National Day reception in Suva, Fiji on October 8, and that the cake was in the shape of a national flag with red, white and blue colors.
The Fijian government has yet to comment on the incident.
Taiwan’s Executive Yuan President Su Tseng-chang said on Tuesday that China has diplomatic relations with Fiji and would have diplomatic immunity, and that Fiji’s police would be hard to deal with, but would have to take the evidence internationally. He said it was good that both political parties in Taiwan were united in condemning China’s barbaric behavior this time.
Fiji gained independence from Britain in 1970, without recognizing the People’s Republic of China or the Republic of China, but Taiwan was allowed to establish a commercial mission in Fiji, and diplomatic relations were established with China in 1975. Taiwan now has a commercial office in Fiji that handles overseas affairs, consular affairs, and commerce.
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