Chinese, Taiwanese embassy staff fight in Fiji as Pacific tensions flare

The fight broke out in Fiji, where Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister says the Chinese men assaulted a diplomat.

Chinese officials have been involved in some high-profile diplomatic incidents in the Pacific in recent years.

Tensions between China and Taiwan in the Pacific have descended into violence in Fiji, where a fight broke out between two Chinese embassy staff and a Taiwanese diplomat.

Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Harry Ho-jen Tseng said the Chinese men assaulted the Taiwanese country office librarian at the October 8 reception in Suva to celebrate Taiwan’s national day.

Mr Tseng said the incident followed a warning to the men not to take photographs of guests at the function.

He said the attack left the victim with concussion, for which he was sent to the doctor.

“What is even more outrageous is that when the Fiji police arrived at the scene, the Chinese embassy staff refused to (assist their) investigation on the grounds of diplomatic immunity,” Mr Tseng told Taiwan’s parliament.

He said Taiwan’s representative formally protested to the Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs about “China’s irrational behaviour”, but it remained unclear how the host country would deal with the matter.

The Chinese embassy disputed the report, telling police its staff were the victims of an assault.

A Fijian media report said police were investigating a complaint by Chinese embassy staff against “an employee of the Taipei Trade Office in Suva”.

Police said Chinese embassy staff claimed they were assaulted while trying to enter the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, where the event was held.

Chinese officials have been involved in high-profile diplomatic incidents in the Pacific in recent years, amid a growing battle for influence in the key strategic region.

At the 2018 APEC leaders’ meeting in Port Moresby, four Chinese government personnel were escorted by security from the Papua New Guinea foreign minister’s office after trying to influence the text of the official summit statement.