In a major embarrassment for Beijing, hundreds of posters wishing Taiwan a happy National Day were put up outside Embassy of China in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri.
Posters wishing Taiwan a happy National Day, issued by the BJP leader Tejinder Pal Bagga, appeared outside Embassy of China after the Chinese embassy issued guidelines to the Indian media to not cover National Day.
“The Chinese Embassy in India would like to remind our media friends that there is only one China in the world… Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. These facts are recognised by the UN resolution and constitute the universal consensus of the international community,” China said in its advisory.
“We hope Indian media can stick to Indian government’s position on Taiwan, and do not violate the One-China principle. In particular, Taiwan shall not be referred to as a “country (nation)” or “Republic of China” or the leader of China’s Taiwan region as “President”, so as to not send wrong signals to the general public,” the Chinese Embassy statement read.
In response to the Chinese diktat, the foreign ministry of Taiwan in a tweet signed off by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told China that Taiwan’s Indian friends would ask Beijing to “get lost”. “#India is the largest democracy on Earth with a vibrant press & freedom-loving people. But it looks like communist #China is hoping to march into the subcontinent by imposing censorship. #Taiwan’s Indian friends will have one reply: GET LOST! JW,” read the tweet.
Reacting to the statement, the Ministry of External Affairs reminded the Chinese that Indian media is a “free” entity and they can report on any issue they deem “fit”. “There is a free media in India and reports as it sees fit,” Anurag Srivastava, MEA spokesperson, told the media during the weekly briefing on Thursday.
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