On Tuesday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) voiced its strong disapproval of the People's Republic of China. This came in response to a report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. As reported by Taipei Times, the Chinese Embassy in Belgium forced to take down the Taiwanese flag at the nation's representative office in 2022. 

Chinese diplomats pressured the Belgian government to remove Taiwan’s national flag from the Brussels Book Fair venue and to revoke Taiwan’s designation as the guest of honour in January 2023, according to a report by Le Soir.

This report was part of the consortium's "China Targets" series, which investigates how Beijing "misuses international organisations to intimidate its critics and spread its repressive methods globally.”

Tanguy Roosen, director of the Brussels International Book Fair, said to the newspaper that the fair wanted to highlight Asian countries last year, but the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised against it, Taipei Times reported.

MOFA stated that China’s attempts to use the Taiwan situation as a matter of “domestic politics” is done to exclude Taiwan from the international sphere. “We urge the global community to take substantive action against China’s attempts to alter the status quo,” it stated.

Roy Lee, the representative to Belgium said that China’s oppression of Taiwan has been widespread and unyielding. He assured that Taiwan’s diplomatic representatives will persist in advocating for the acknowledgement and visibility of the nation’s rights in the international community. 

Sara van Hoeymissen, an expert in world politics at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium, remarked that the representative office is navigating a delicate balance regarding diplomatic actions that are permissible. 

She further explained, as reported by Taipei Times, that the Chinese embassy consistently urges the Belgian government to use specific terminology for Taiwan in official documents, insisting that all references avoid implying Taiwanese independence.