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The Republic of China-Taiwan is expected to reprimand the Marshall Islands following what is being described as a “diplomatic embarrassment” during the Post Forum Dialogue meeting in Majuro last week.
On September 6, 2013, a senior Taiwanese diplomat was escorted out of the meeting venue at the insistence of the People’s Republic of China (mainland China) officials, before the start of the dialogue between donor and forum island countries.
The diplomatic spat was earlier sparked by Mainland China when its deputy director of climate change Dr Li Gao refused to attend the High Level Panel of Climate Change Experts because the meeting was held at the International Conference Center, a Taiwan built and funded building.
China further asked the Forum Secretariat to have the host country take down the Taiwanese flag and cover up the plaque in the lobby, which says the building was a gift from Taiwan to the Marshall Islands.
During a press conference with officials, the media inquired about the situation where Marshall Islands Minister-In-Assistance Tony de Brum said, “to be an effective Pacific Islands Forum Chair, we need to work with everybody and that’s exactly what were going to do.”
Later in the day, Taiwan held its dialogue session in a separate venue expressing strong condemnation of the way its diplomat was treated by the Marshall Islands and the Forum Secretariat.
Taiwan officials reportedly expressed that there will be consequences for RMI.
Source: OTV and PACNEWS