Taiwan protests against China amid flag row for using economic pressure to interfere in politics

Beijing [China], August 25 (ANI): Taiwan has launched a strong protest against Beijing for using economic pressure to interfere in politics of the self-governed island after a Taipei-based hotel chain apologised for excluding the Chinese flag from Olympic decorations at its Paris hotel earlier this month.

Citing Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Focus Taiwan reported that China has continuously coerced foreign businesses into adhering to its political goals through the use of boycotts, penalties, tax audits, and regulatory infractions.

The ministry claimed that Beijing’s political manoeuvring “undermined the rules-based international order and normal business practices.”

The Taipei-based Evergreen Group, according to Focus Taiwan, issued an apology on Friday this week after a Chinese influencer said in a TikTok post on August 13 that he did not want to check into the Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Paris because the Chinese flag was not one of the flags flown in the lobby.

The Evergreen Laurel Hotel’s Shanghai and Paris locations were taken down from booking platforms by several Chinese travel portals shortly after TikTok was uploaded and circulated via Mandarin-speaking communities around the globe, reported Focus Taiwan.

Evergreen Group said it supports the “1992 consensus” and is against Taiwanese independence in its apologies for the event on Friday, which has received strong condemnation, according to Focus Taiwan.

The “1992 consensus” was an unspoken agreement made in 1992 between the Chinese government and the Kuomintang (KMT) administration of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

According to the KMT, it is a recognition by both parties that there is only “one China,” but that each party is allowed to define what that “one China” entails.

Despite never having controlled Taiwan, China’s ruling Communist Party claims it as part of its territory and has vowed to take the island by force if necessary.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) also issued a statement saying it “strongly protests and condemns the Chinese Communist Party for manipulating nationalism, inciting and condoning netizens to bully and pressure our enterprises, and engaging in economic coercion.”