Taipei Times
Date: Aug 22, 2020
By: Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter
The logo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pictured at the ministry in Taipei in an undated photograph.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said that China was lying when Beijing claimed that Taiwan had paid social media users to post negative comments on China-Kiribati relations.
China has received widespread criticism after images emerged online, showing Chinese Ambassador to Kiribati Tang Songgen (唐松根) walking across the backs of local children in a welcoming ceremony on its Marakai Island this month.
Tang accepted to participate in the ritual out of respect for local customs, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijiang (趙立堅) told a news briefing on Thursday.
Tang is Beijing’s first ambassador to the Pacific Island nation after China and Kiribati resumed diplomatic relations in September last year. [FULL STORY]
