China insisted that European countries ban Taiwanese politicians from visiting them or risk crossing the red line.
Chinese officials are providing “legal advice” to European countries, saying their border laws require them to bar entry to Taiwanese politicians, according to more than half a dozen diplomats and officials familiar with the matter, The Guardian writes.
According to European diplomats and government officials who spoke to The Guardian, Chinese officials have taken the decision to European embassies in Beijing or through local embassies directly to European governments in their capitals, warning European countries not to “cross China's red lines.”
The Guardian points out that the ways in which these approaches are applied vary widely: some on individual countries, some on groups, some through written notes (a semi-formal diplomatic message) and others directly. At least in part, they are a response to recent trips to Europe by Taiwanese officials, including the island's current vice president, foreign minister and former president.
Beijing said it “respects the sovereignty of the European side in establishing and implementing visa policies,” but “institutional loopholes” have allowed Taiwanese politicians to visit regularly, according to a note seen by The Guardian.
The Chinese cite various EU laws and regulations, including the Schengen Border Code, which states that a condition for the entry of non-EU nationals is that they “not be considered a threat… to the international relations of any member state.”
The Guardian understands that the assumption among Beijing officials is that allowing Taiwanese politicians into the European country would jeopardize that country's international relations with China.
In some cases, they also invoked the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations or asked European countries to follow the United Nations' lead and ban all Taiwanese from entering government buildings, The Guardian reported.
“Beijing's application and interpretation of this ruling is a bold step,” said Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczi, an associate professor at Taiwan's National Donghua University. “Beijing believes that EU-Taiwan relations threaten EU-China relations. This is completely inconsistent with perceptions or realities in Europe.”
The note said European countries should reject any “so-called diplomatic passports” issued by Taiwan and “ban Taiwanese personnel from entering Europe for the purpose of establishing official contact and exchanging information, violating China's red line.”
“China hopes that the EU institutions and European countries, based on broader interests in Sino-European relations and bilateral relations, will make a political decision to deny the so-called President or Vice President of Taiwan (including the former) entry,” the statement said, listing other officials.
The note cited visits by Taiwanese officials to Belgium, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Australia, Germany, Lithuania, Denmark, Estonia and Ireland, saying they “seriously weakened China-EU relations.”
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Entry into the UK is determined solely by our immigration laws and regulations, which apply equally to those traveling from Taiwan.”
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the officials' visits to Europe were “completely unrelated to China and China has no right to interfere.”
The Guardian understands that China's “extremely specific” recommendations on European border laws in force since 2011 are not considered legally sound by recipients, but some smaller countries have taken their warning tone particularly seriously.
The EU does not take a position on Taiwan's status, and although it has formal relations with Beijing, it also maintains a “strong” informal relationship with Taipei through parliamentary diplomacy and trade. Several European and EU countries have trade missions that serve as unofficial embassies in Taipei, The Guardian recalls.
In recent years, however, the EU has come under increasing pressure from Beijing, which calls Taiwan a province of China and intends to reunite with it – by force if necessary. As part of its strategy to force Taiwan to unify without conflict, Beijing is applying strong diplomatic pressure on the international community to isolate Taipei from multilateral participation.
