After investing a significant amount of money over the past 5 years, Taiwanese officials visited the island nation of Fiji to celebrate their newfound economic cooperation. This comes after Fiji has previously had close ties to the mainland Chinese communist government. Chinese diplomats were spotted at the event held at the Suva Grand Pacific and attempted to document the attendees of the event through photograph.
Members of the Taiwanese delegate asked the Chinese diplomats to leave, but they refused. A brawl broke out upon refusal to cooperate with the Taiwanese and reception staff. The fight resulted in the hospitalization of a member of the Taiwanese party. Following the incident, Taiwanese legislative and bureaucratic officials condemned the actions of the Chinese diplomats.
The Global Times, a newspaper funded by the Communist Chinese Party, alleges that Taiwan started the brawl, yet also claims there were no Chinese officials in attendance. The official stance of the Chinese mainland government is that the Taiwanese and Fijian report of the incident is "inconsistent with the facts." This incident further highlights the increasing tension between China and its neighbors in the pacific region.