Estonia: Members of parliament criticized by China over their participation in an event celebrating Taiwan's national holiday

The embassy of the People's Republic of China (PRC), led by the Communist Party, has submitted a note to the Riigikogu, the parliament of Estonia, criticizing the participation of several MPs in an event celebrating Taiwan's national holiday. The PRC considers Taiwan, historically known as the Republic of China, to be a breakaway province.

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The Chinese Embassy underscored that, in their view, members of the Riigikogu, "the participation of the aforementioned members of the Riigikogu [...] violates the One China principle [...] It concludes with the hope that members of the Riigikogu will refrain from similar actions in the future to avoid damaging relations between the two countries.

Social media posts show that former Prime Minister Andrus Ansip also attended the reception hosted by Taiwan.

Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee chair Marko Mihkelson (Reform) commented on Wednesday about his participation in the event, stating that in the face of growing existential threats, democracies must stand together.

"Therefore, it is only natural that Estonia and Taiwan strengthen their good relations in areas where we can be mutually beneficial and contribute to international security. These were my messages last night at the reception in Tallinn, where Taiwan's national holiday was celebrated," Mihkelson wrote on social media, [also noting] that compared to last year, the number of Taiwan's supporters in Estonia has visibly grown, which, in his opinion, further confirms the importance of maintaining unity among societies that share common values, regardless of distance.

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On Wednesday, Mihkelson also met with the People's Republic of China's ambassador, Guo Xiaomei, and noted that much of the discussion focused on the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine.

"Relations between Estonia and China have been volatile in recent years. This has been largely influenced by the Covid pandemic and the resulting restrictions, but even more so by Russia's full-scale war in Europe, where China has supported Russia economically and politically. Understandably, this has heightened tensions in East Asia, particularly around Taiwan," Mihkelson wrote.

"During today's meeting with China's ambassador Guo Xiaomei, we discussed, at her request, the situation around Taiwan and the planned visit of the Foreign Affairs Committee delegation to the region. It is in Estonia's interest to maintain the status quo and reduce tensions. Any military solution would lead to a global catastrophe, which likely isn't in China's interest either," the Foreign Affairs Committee chair added.

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"We also discussed what Chinese President Xi Jinping meant when he stated during his visit to Moscow last year that, together with Russia, China would bring about changes in the world not seen in 100 years. We both acknowledged that in the current international dynamics, it is crucial to listen to each other and do everything possible to prevent regional tensions from escalating into a global conflict," he remarked.