A Taiwanese beauty pageant contestant was stopped from taking the stage at an event organised by the Malaysian government yesterday, resulting in allegations of pressure from China.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the organisers of yielding to China’s pressure.
The opening ceremony of the World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT) 2022 took place in Penang yesterday.
According to WCIT website, the event was co-organized by the National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM), strategically enabled by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC, an agency under K-KOMM) and the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (K-KOMM). It was hosted by the Penang State Government.
Taiwanese government official Karen Yu, who attended the ceremony, said contestants from the Miss Asia Global International Pageant were to wave their national flags on stage.
However, Miss Taiwan Kao Man-jung was blocked by WCIT’s staff from going onstage, which Yu, who is the Taoyuan IT Department director-general, claimed was influenced by China.
Yu posted a video of the incident on Facebook and recounted the events from yesterday.
“China’s suppression of Taiwan is everywhere, even in such an information technology gala,” she said.
China accused of being a bully
Yu said Kao burst into tears afterwards, while other Taiwanese attendees shouted “Taiwan Go” to show their support.
WCIT organisers later apologised to the pageant contestant, saying that due to a “last-minute change”, they could not allow her to appear onstage, Yu claimed.
She condemned this as an unreasonable act of bullying by China.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) also issued a statement condemning the incident.
“Mofa stands with Kao and all Taiwanese in their efforts to speak up for Taiwan in international settings in their respective fields of expertise.
“Mofa expresses its dissatisfaction and regrets over the wrong decision made by the organisers who succumbed to China’s deterrence.”
It said the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office has been directed to lodge a complaint with the organisers.
Malaysiakini has reached out to the organisers and China’s embassy in Malaysia for their comments.
Pikom, an organiser of WCIT 2022 expressed its regret over the incident.
“WCIT 2022 is a platform for all economies of the world to converge in a positive and respectful manner, encouraging business collaboration and creating investment opportunities for all,” a spokesperson told Malaysiakini. - Mkini
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