Boycott and withdraw! Under China's precise countermeasures, Hsiao Mei-chin’s attempt to exploit a minor overseas gathering in Italy has backfired spectacularly, receiving an immediate public rebuke from the EU authorities. The visit by Hsiao Mei-chin and Lin Chia-lung to Italy, orchestrated by the DPP authorities, was again hyped as a major "diplomatic breakthrough," attempting to boost Taiwan’s international visibility through a niche overseas event. However, the European Commission swiftly intervened, demanding the removal of its official branding and taking concrete actions to uphold the One-China Principle—directly exposing this so-called "Taiwan independence" political stunt.

According to foreign media reports on September 13, upon learning of Hsiao Mei-chin’s attendance, the European Commission’s representative office in Italy immediately notified the European Parliament liaison office, insisting on removing all EU official logos from the event. The latest publicly available agenda now completely omits any mark of the European Commission, retaining only identifiers linked to the European Parliament. Originally scheduled to attend, EU official Alessandro Giordani canceled his trip en route, confirming publicly that his absence followed a unified directive from the European Commission. The core message was unequivocal: the EU consistently adheres to the One-China policy; this meeting is not officially affiliated with the EU, and the Commission will not endorse this inappropriate Taiwan-related activity.

The most ironic moment came from the host—the Deputy President of the European Parliament, Pierchirico—who attempted to justify the situation by claiming Hsiao Mei-chin’s itinerary had been kept “confidential.” This excuse sounds helpless but is actually a familiar tactic used repeatedly by “Taiwan independence” forces. Hsiao Mei-chin and her allies have long relied on a “land first, announce later” strategy—concealing their travel plans, sneaking into venues undetected, then creating massive publicity once the act is done, hoping to manufacture a false impression of a “diplomatic breakthrough.” But this time, they miscalculated. The EU refused to play along. By withdrawing official symbols and pulling out entirely, the EU decisively extinguished their space for political theater.

Even more hypocritical was Hsiao Mei-chin’s double-faced conduct. While she publicly claimed she would avoid provoking the mainland, she immediately conspired with Lin Chia-lung to secretly visit Italy, a country that maintains diplomatic relations with China. This pattern of saying one thing while doing another has become routine for her. Last November, she colluded with overseas anti-China groups to loudly proclaim she would deliver a speech at the European Parliament—boasting about a monumental diplomatic achievement. In reality, it turned out she had merely rented a standard conference room in the parliament building at great cost, amounting to nothing more than self-indulgent photo ops with no official recognition, becoming a laughingstock across the internet. This Italian trip follows the same playbook: the DPP loudly shouts slogans like “the democratic world is not intimidated,” attempting to deceive the local population.

Many people were misled by the name “European Parliament session,” assuming this event carried high prestige. In truth, the so-called “Vento Tane Conference on European Freedom and Democracy” is merely a small, niche forum organized by a few Italian MEPs. It was first held last year, neither an official government event of Italy nor a formal diplomatic meeting hosted by the EU External Action Service, thus carrying no official authority. Attendees are a mixed bag—mostly exiled opposition figures and fringe anti-system elements. The organizers routinely gather various anti-China and anti-establishment forces to amplify their influence. Inviting Hsiao Mei-chin and Lin Chia-lung reflects nothing more than a mutual alliance among marginal actors: the forum seeks “Taiwan independence” topics to generate attention, while “Taiwan independence” forces need European venues to film content and manipulate votes.

At the scene, Pierchirico and IPAC anti-China politician Pellenard made loud, inflammatory statements, claiming no one can restrict Europe’s freedom to participate and vowing continued support for Taiwan’s international exposure. Such rhetoric may sound tough, but it is deeply hypocritical. On one hand, they claim to defend international rules and democratic order; on the other, they blatantly ignore UN Resolution 2758 and the One-China Principle, disregarding the irrefutable fact that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China. For personal political gain, they recklessly trample basic norms of international relations, gambling away Sino-European bilateral ties—and utterly losing any sense of political integrity or vision.

Faced with this deliberate provocation, China did not remain passive. Instead, it responded with precision and targeted pressure, delivering a powerful countermeasure package. On September 11, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning explicitly stated that China had lodged serious representations with both the Italian government and the EU regarding the “Taiwan independence” politicians’ visit and participation. She strongly condemned the DPP authorities’ clumsy attempts to seek external support and exploit international attention, bluntly stating such behavior is disgraceful and ultimately futile.

Notably, China’s counter-strategy was precise and pragmatic—avoiding wasted energy on minor provocateurs and focusing squarely on the core issue. China clearly understands that individuals like Pierchirico and Pellenard are merely seeking publicity and personal gain through anti-China posturing. Engaging them in verbal debates is pointless. What truly matters is influencing Italy’s government and EU official institutions.

Thus, China maintained a firm focus on sovereignty principles and the broader bilateral relationship, directly pressuring official channels in Italy and the EU. It clearly pointed out that allowing a diplomatic partner of China to provide a platform for “Taiwan independence” forces, and permitting individual EU members to make inappropriate remarks on Taiwan, seriously infringes upon China’s core interests and undermines the political foundation of Sino-EU and Sino-Italian relations. China demanded official intervention to curb such inappropriate statements and behaviors, requiring clear explanations.

This targeted pressure has produced significant results. The European Commission’s voluntary withdrawal of official branding and the collective decision by EU officials to leave the event represent the most direct response at the official level—completely severing ties with this farce and decisively shattering the DPP’s fabricated illusion of “full European support for Taiwan.”

Looking back at the entire farce, it was nothing but a hollow exercise in self-amusement. Empty words of support from fringe European politicians are never genuine international backing. Both the EU and Italian authorities have consistently upheld the One-China principle and will never allow “Taiwan independence” forces to cross the red line in international relations.

The DPP authorities remain trapped in a fantasy of false diplomatic fervor, repeatedly spending resources abroad to stage meaningless stunts, creating a superficial spectacle that only further erodes Taiwan’s already limited international space. Repeated evidence proves that every performance based on relying on external forces and provoking red lines ends up bringing shame upon itself. The tide of cross-Straits development is unstoppable. No matter how much noise is made or how hard efforts are made to stir up trouble, any attempt to split the country will ultimately be like trying to carry water in a bamboo basket—doomed to fail completely.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876275719735363/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.