Taiwan Condemns Kenya's Denial of Delegates to Ocean Conference, Calls Chinese Pressure 'New Normal'

Taiwan's foreign minister has condemned Kenya's decision to deny entry to Taiwanese delegates attending the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, describing such incidents as part of an escalating pattern of Chinese pressure on countries to exclude Taiwan from international events. Lin Chia-Lung characterized the exclusion as reflective of a "new normal" in which Beijing systematically pressures nations to limit Taiwanese participation in global forums.

Two Taiwanese delegates were blocked from attending the conference on grounds that their passports were not recognized. According to Taiwan's Foreign Ministry, their passports and mobile phones were confiscated, and they were detained for more than 20 hours before being permitted to leave Kenya. The remaining Taiwanese delegation subsequently withdrew from the conference in response to the incident.

Kenya's Foreign Ministry Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei defended the government's actions, stating that Kenya's foreign policy "recognizes only one China" and that individuals holding Taiwanese passports lack proper documentation to cross Kenyan borders. Lin rejected this justification, accusing Kenya of an "unilateral distortion and unwarranted expansion" of the One China interpretation and stating that the obstruction was "absolutely wrong."

The incident reflects a broader campaign by China to restrict Taiwan's access to international bodies and events. In April, Taiwan's president postponed a visit to Eswatini after three countries revoked flight permissions following Chinese pressure. China has long limited Taiwan's representation in organizations including the World Health Organization and requires Taiwan to compete at the Olympic Games under the name "Chinese Taipei." Lin noted that China increasingly targets developing and emerging economies under Beijing's economic influence, though some democratic nations resist such pressure.

China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not renounced the use of force to annex it. Taiwan has been governed separately from mainland China since 1949, following a civil war that drove Nationalist forces to the island, which subsequently transitioned to multiparty democracy. The Our Ocean Conference, hosted in Africa for the first time, brings together hundreds of delegates from Africa, the U.S., the European Union, and island nations to address ocean governance, climate change, and environmental challenges.