Kenya Accused of Bowing to Chinese Pressure Over Ocean Conference Ban
Taiwan is protesting after its delegation of marine experts was effectively blocked from attending the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya. The first delegates who arrived for the conference were detained for 24 hours and had their cell phones and passports confiscated, and others had cancel their plans. Taiwan's foreign ministry says China leaned on Kenya to prevent the Taiwanese delegation from attending.
OCEAN CONFERENCE FALLOUT
Taiwan accuses Kenya of bowing to Chinese pressure
REPORTER:
Controversy surrounds the Our Ocean Conference, which kicked off Tuesday in Kenya. Several Taiwanese marine experts traveling to the conference were held for more than 24 hours, and some had their phones and passports confiscated. In the end, none of them made it to the event. Taiwan’s government is calling foul.
BITE-1:
The visiting scholars were locked in a small room for 24 hours. This kind of treatment clearly shows there was pressure behind the scenes.
REPORTER:
Taiwan has sent delegates to the conference every year since 2015. In a timeline provided by Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, the country’s delegation originally registered in April but then faced technical issues: “Taiwan” was removed from the conference’s registration options, then users with Taiwan-based IP addresses could not complete their registration. After two scholars arrived and were detained, the remainder of the delegation cancelled their plans.
Lee Shan-ying (DIRECTOR, DEPT. OF INT’L DEVELOPMENT, OCEAN AFFAIRS COUNCIL):
[Delegates] were unable to register on the conference website using the name "Taiwan" and electronic visas that had already been approved were then revoked. This was the first such incident since March 2022. This was not only unfair to Taiwan but also runs counter to the spirit of international cooperation and exchanges and violates the principles of openness, fairness and inclusiveness that should underpin international ocean governance.
REPORTER:
Taiwan’s foreign ministry accused China of pressuring the Kenyan government to block the delegates from attending and of violating international norms.
Lin Chia-lung (TAIWAN FOREIGN MINISTER):
We see this becoming a new normal. The Chinese Communist Party is increasingly pressuring certain countries to [exclude] Taiwan more than before.
REPORTER:
It said Kenya has “willingly become a political tool of China.” The ministry called on fellow democracies and friendly countries to join Taiwan in protesting.
If China were responsible for the scholars’ treatment, this is only the latest example of Beijing seeking to limit Taiwan’s international participation, following an incident last month when a Taiwanese delegation was prevented from attending the RightsCon forum in Zambia.
Alex Chen and Lery Hiciano, for TaiwanPlus.
