China envoy hurt in Fiji after tussle with Taiwan trade official

A Chinese diplomat in Fiji was injured earlier this month after a Taipei Trade Office employee provoked embassy staff at a local hotel, the Chinese Embassy in Fiji said on Monday.

The Taipei Trade Office in Fiji held a so-called “national day” event at the Grand Pacific Hotel in the Fijian capital Suva on October 8, the embassy said in a statement.

The staff from the trade office “acted provocatively against the Chinese Embassy staff who were carrying out their official duties in the public area outside the function venue, causing damage and injuries to one Chinese diplomat,” it said.

“We have expressed our serious concerns to the Fijian side about the above incidents, requesting the Police Force of Fiji to carry out thorough investigation into the incidents and hold the perpetrators accountable according to law.”

China also criticized the “national day” celebration, saying it “violates the one-China principle and the relevant rules and regulations of the Fijian government, with an attempt to create ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan’ internationally,” it added.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian on Monday criticized the flags and cake that the Taiwanese side displayed.

“Taipei’s Trade office in Fiji on October 8 flagrantly held a so-called ‘national celebration’ event. The self-styled flag was publicly displayed on the scene, and the cake was also marked with the self-styled flag pattern,” he said.

Taiwan authorities said two Chinese diplomats tried to force their way in to take pictures. Violence ensued after Taiwanese staff tried to prevent them from entering, and a Taiwanese staffer was sent to hospital with a head injury. But Zhao said Taiwan’s account was “inconsistent with the facts” and it is playing the trick of a thief crying “stop thief.”