Will not be intimidated by China's 'hooligan' diplomats: Taiwan
Tsai Ing-wen and Xi Jinping
Taiwan on Tuesday said that it will not be intimidated by China's "hooligan" officialsand will continue to celebrate its national day around the world.
Taiwandeputy foreign minister Henry Tseng told Parliament that it condemned "irrational acts" by theChinesediplomats amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
It comes afterTaiwan had accused Chinese diplomats of attemptingto charge into a diplomatic event to take pictures and collect information on who was attending the country'sNational Day celebrations.
Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang said the world needed to see what China was capable of, saying what they did was a "barbaric act".
"China's officials posted overseas are acting like hooligans; beating people is not acceptable. We sternly condemn this," he told reporters.
The issue was hard to deal with because the Chinese diplomats there has diplomatic immunity, Su added.
Taiwan's charges werehotly disputed by China, who saidthat its diplomats were trying to find out whether any Fijian politicians were present at the event.
The Pacific is a major source of competition between the two, where Taiwan has official diplomatic relations with four countries, though not Fiji.
Speaking in Taipei, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou saidTaiwan is a "peace-loving country" andChina can spread as many lies as it likes.
Relations between the two countries were on the edge earlier this month as Taiwan celebrated its National Day amid repeated incursion ofChinese jetsinto Taiwan's airspace. China considers Taiwan as a reneged province in which it intends to unite with the mainland.