Story perspectives

EU, Australia, Kenya Defy China Over Taiwan, Detain Scholars

6/22/2026

Summary

Story summary

The EU-Belgium office rejected the Chinese Embassy’s claim that Taiwan belongs to China, calling it a 23-million-person democracy and citing the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty.
Australian Federal Member for Bowman Henry Pike dismissed China’s warning about a meeting with a Kaohsiung delegation, saying governments should not dictate Australian ties and noting Taiwan’s role in semiconductors.
Kenyan police detained Taiwan scholars for 20 hours before the Ocean Conference, seizing their passports and phones.

History

Historical Context

On 25 October 1971 the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, voting 76 to 35, which recognized the People’s Republic of China as the sole Chinese representative and expelled the Republic of China’s delegates. The United States, while maintaining unofficial ties with Taiwan, has repeatedly stated that the resolution does not endorse Beijing’s ‘one-China’ principle, a stance echoed in 2024 diplomatic remarks.

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Story summary

The EU-Belgium office rejected the Chinese Embassy’s claim that Taiwan belongs to China, calling it a 23-million-person democracy and citing the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty.
Australian Federal Member for Bowman Henry Pike dismissed China’s warning about a meeting with a Kaohsiung delegation, saying governments should not dictate Australian ties and noting Taiwan’s role in semiconductors.
Kenyan police detained Taiwan scholars for 20 hours before the Ocean Conference, seizing their passports and phones.

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