Israel's media company receives an ultimatum from Beijing

An Israeli news outlet has been requested by the Chinese embassy to remove an interview with Taiwan's foreign minister, and if it is not removed Beijing may downgrade its relationship with Israel. Taiwan's foreign minister cautioned Israel in a Monday interview with the Jerusalem Post that doing business with China should be "very careful.".

“We shouldn’t allow these kinds of business relations to jeopardize our national security. And I understand pretty well that Israel also places national security very high on the government agenda,” he said in a video interview.

“Apparently I’m supposed to take down the story or they will sever ties with The Jerusalem Post and downgrade relations with the State of Israel. Needless to say, story ain’t going anywhere,” Katz said in a tweet.

Later, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry responded to the diplomat's Twitter post, claiming that authoritarianism has no upper limit to its expansion. According to local reports, the Israeli government had instructed its diplomats not to invite Taiwanese officials to local events or participate in Taiwan-organized events, mainly because China is a close ally of Israel.

31 May 2022