TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s representative in Hungary has come under fire for putting food on a national flag used as a tablecloth, reports said Wednesday (April 5).

Envoy Liu Shih-chung (劉世忠) and his son participated in a festival at an international school where students sold typical foods from their country of origin, UDN reported. The stand representing Taiwan used national flags as tablecloths, with plates, cups, cutlery, and napkins stacked on top.

However, while praising the diplomat’s patriotism in promoting Taiwanese food, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) said envoys need to be more careful about their actions. However, he lauded Liu for his efforts on behalf of Taiwan’s international image, including the showing of the flag.

The public should give frontline diplomatic personnel encouragement and support, but they should avoid causing controversy while trying to raise the country’s international image, Hsu said. 

Liu responded to the criticism, pointing out with pictures on his Facebook page that several other countries at the school event had also used their flags to cover walls or tables, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.