TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China has asked several European governments to review visa decisions for Taiwanese political figures and urged them to deny entry for official contacts, warning about its “red lines” over Taiwan, The Guardian reported Tuesday.

Diplomats and officials familiar with the matter said China delivered the messages through its embassies in Europe and diplomatic offices in Beijing in November and December, following visits to Europe by senior Taiwanese officials, including the vice president, the foreign minister, and a former president.

Contacts between Taiwan and the European Union have grown in recent years, coinciding with shifting geopolitical dynamics involving China and Russia, according to Nikkei Asia. A Central European Institute of Asian Studies report found interactions rose from 58 in 2019 to over 300 in 2024, including visits, agreements, and cultural and economic exchanges.

Chinese officials conveyed their messages through a combination of written diplomatic notes and in-person meetings. Some communications targeted individual countries, while others were addressed to groups, the report said.

A diplomatic communication reviewed by The Guardian said that while Chinese officials acknowledged European sovereignty over visa policies, an “institutional loophole” allowed frequent visits by Taiwanese politicians. The note referenced EU laws, including the Schengen Borders Code, which permits member states to deny entry to non-EU nationals considered a threat to international relations.

China urged European countries to “prohibit Taiwanese personnel from entering Europe” for official contacts and exchanges, describing such actions as trampling on its “red line,” the report said. It called on EU institutions and member states to deny entry to Taiwan’s current and former leaders.

The note also criticized a speech by Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) in the European Parliament, accusing it of promoting “Taiwan independence,” which Beijing opposes. The document cited visits by Taiwanese officials to Belgium, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Denmark, Estonia, and Ireland.

China claimed the trips “seriously undermine China-EU relations” and framed its pressure as protecting broader China-EU interests, urging governments to deny entry to the officials, according to the report.

“Beijing’s application and interpretation of this regulation is bold,” said Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, assistant professor at Taiwan’s National Dong Hwa University. “It is Beijing’s interpretation that EU-Taiwan ties threaten EU-China ties. This is not at all the perception or reality in Europe.”

China’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment, The Guardian reported, adding that Norway and Finland confirmed they received the communications.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said its officials’ European visits are routine and unrelated to China. It said China’s diplomatic pressure and military threats undermine regional and global security, including European interests.

European recipients did not find China’s legal arguments persuasive, the report said, though smaller EU states took the warnings seriously due to concerns about broader relations with Beijing. Ferenczy described the move as a tactic to create unease among EU countries about their ties with China, noting Beijing is aware some nations are seeking Chinese investment.

The EU does not formally recognize Taiwan but maintains unofficial relations through trade, parliamentary exchanges, and representative offices, while keeping official diplomatic ties with China.

Claus Soong, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, said the move reflects China’s long-standing strategy to discourage closer cooperation between Taiwan and other countries, adding the messages were intended to prompt caution rather than issue direct threats.