China blasts Danish conference with Taiwan President as 'political farce'

China on Tuesday (May 11) blasted a democracy conference in Copenhagen attended by Taiwan's President and a Hong Kong activist alongside Danish government officials this week, calling it a "political farce". The Copenhagen Democracy Summit was held on Monday and Tuesday in the Danish capital and organised by the Alliance of Democracies, an organisation targeted by Beijing sanctions in March and founded by former Nato boss Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

In addition to Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen and Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law, Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod participated in the forum by video link, which Beijing said violated "the one-China principle". "This summit is a political farce," the Chinese embassy in Denmark wrote in a statement published on Tuesday.

"Inviting those who advocate Taiwan and Hong Kong 'independence' to the meeting violates the one-China principle and interferes in China's internal affairs," it said. "Some hypocritical Western politicians are good at meddling in other countries' internal affairs and creating divisions and confrontation in the name of 'democracy' and 'freedom'. They are bound to fail," it added.

Read more