The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday criticized China for strong-arming a Hungarian university to prohibit students from presenting Taiwanese cuisine at a campus event.
The Taipei Representative Office in Budapest on Friday received a complaint from Taiwanese students at the University of Debrecen, who said that they were stopped from presenting food under a banner reading “Taiwan” at the university’s International Food Day that afternoon due to Chinese influence, the ministry said.
The office asked Taiwan-friendly Hungarian councilors to express concern to the university and filed a protest with the university against its unreasonable request, it said.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
After negotiations with the school, the students were allowed to showcase Taiwanese food under a banner saying “Taiwanese food,” it said.
The Chinese embassy in Hungary exerted pressure on the university via the Hungarian government to suppress Taiwanese students just a few hours before the event, the ministry said.
The incident shows Beijing’s ubiquitous suppression of Taiwan, it said.
The move hurts the feelings of people across the Taiwan Strait and highlights Beijing’s rude and dictatorial traits, it said.
The ministry’s office in Hungary urged the Hungarian government to respect the rights of Taiwanese students and not adopt prejudiced measures against them due to outside political pressure, it said.
In England, a plan by Taiwanese groups to join the parade for the Lord Mayor’s Show in London in November was rejected by the city government, reportedly due to Chinese pressure.
Beijing is again demonstrating its autocratic character by limiting the free development of overseas Taiwanese, the ministry said yesterday, adding that it would help the groups join the event.
Additional reporting by CNA
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