TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei District Court dismissed a case involving a man who spread misinformation about Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) historic speech in Brussels last month.

The man, surnamed Chen (陳), was on trial for alleging that international media reported the Taiwan government spent NT$296 billion (US$8 billion) to give Hsiao the chance to speak before European lawmakers, reported NOW News. Following the court’s dismissal of the charges without penalty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strongly worded response calling the ruling “unacceptable.”

Hsiao visited as a guest of the Inter-parliamentary Alliance on China at the European Parliament where she addressed the threat of Chinese hostilities. Hsiao’s address was viewed as an important development for Taiwan-EU relations.

Following the judge’s dismissal of charges on Thursday, the foreign ministry said it would explore different measures to address Chen’s offense. The ministry said it respects the court’s independent discretion when considering legal offenses. However, it firmly disagrees with the decision to dismiss charges without penalty when evidence of the offense was clear.

In the future, the ministry said it hopes the courts will consider the broader security situation facing Taiwan when hearing cases of misinformation intended to mislead the public. 

Spreading false information or malicious propaganda represents more than an individual violation. It can also threaten national security and Taiwan’s democratic system, per the press release.