TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Australia's governing party rejected a demand by Chinese diplomats to expel Taiwanese officials from its national conference, prompting the Chinese delegation to walk out.
The Australian Labor Party (ALP) opened its 50th national conference in Adelaide on Thursday, where two officials from Taiwan's representative office in Australia were in attendance, per ABC News. Three Chinese diplomats confronted ALP National Secretary Paul Erickson and demanded the Taiwanese representatives be removed from the venue.
Erickson refused the request, saying the representatives had the right to attend as observers. After the party rejected the demand, the Chinese diplomats left the conference.
An ALP spokesperson declined to comment on why the delegation departed, saying the question should be directed to the Chinese Embassy in Australia.
The two Taiwanese officials attended the conference as general observers rather than “international observers,” who are typically foreign diplomats or representatives of overseas political parties, according to ABC.
Taiwan's representative office in Australia said Taiwan's overseas missions regularly engage with governments and civil society in their host countries on issues of mutual concern. It said Taiwan works with like-minded partners across the Indo-Pacific to counter disinformation, address hybrid threats, and respond to geopolitical challenges.
