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Taiwan has accused Kenya of yielding to “Chinese pressure” after its officials were reportedly blocked from participating in an international maritime event held this week.
The controversy centres on the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, where Taiwan says its delegation was detained and restricted despite being officially invited to attend.
China, which considers self-ruled Taiwan part of its territory, routinely opposes the island’s participation in international organisations and diplomatic engagements with other states.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council minister, Kuan Bi-ling, said Kenyan authorities detained two Taiwanese delegates attending the forum. She alleged that their passports and mobile phones were confiscated and that they were held for an extended period.
Kuan further stated that the officials “faced a situation close to deportation,” while other members of the delegation reportedly had their entry permits revoked. She described the treatment as unjust, writing: “This is not diplomatic coldness, it is unfair treatment.”
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung also criticised the incident on Wednesday, stating that Kenya acted under what he called “high-level Chinese pressure.”
“We see this is a new normal. China is pressuring other countries more and more to behave towards Taiwan in a way that exceeds the past,” Lin said in Taipei.
He added that Taiwan had been formally invited to the conference and had even paid to set up an exhibition booth, only for its participation to be obstructed. Lin argued that Kenya had “distorted” its interpretation of the One China principle, extending it in a way that excluded Taiwanese representation.
“This is absolutely wrong and we strongly protest it,” he said.
The incident comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions, with China increasing military activity around Taiwan while simultaneously working to reduce its remaining formal diplomatic allies and limit its international space.
Kenyan authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations.
