Beijing demands the EU ban Taiwanese politiciansBy Helen Davidson / The GuardianChinese officials have been pushing “legal advice” on European countries, saying the EU’s border laws require them to ban entry to Taiwanese politicians, more than half a dozen diplomats and officials familiar with the matter said. The officials made demarches to European embassies in Beijing, or through local embassies directly to European governments in their capital cities, warning the European countries not to “trample on China’s red lines,” the European diplomats and ministries said. Photo: APThey occurred in November and last month, and were at least partly in response to Taiwanese officials’ recent trips to Europe. In some cases, they also referred to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, or suggested the European countries follow the UN’s example and bar all Taiwanese from government buildings. “Beijing is trying as much as they can to say that you should really think a little bit before letting Taiwanese officials in.

Source: Taipei Times January 13, 2026 17:13 UTC