lørdag 12. september 2026

China angered by Taiwan VP's visit to EU democracy forum

China was angered by Italy and the EU on Friday, lodging "solemn ‌representations" with both after news broke that high-ranking Taiwanese officials had traveled to the bloc to attend an annual democracy summit. Beijing's Foreign Ministry said it firmly opposes official interactions of any form with Taiwan by nations who have ties with China.

Solemn ‌representations is a literal translation of a Chinese term expressing diplomatic discontent. At issue is a visit by Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, both of whom were welcomed to the Ventotene Conference for Freedom and Democracy in Italy. China sees democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, which it has vowed to "reunite" with the mainland.