The deportation of a group of Taiwanese Nationals back to China has been defended by the Kenyan government after an outrage from Taiwanese people. The Taiwanese were allegedly involved in cyber crimes.
According to reports, one of the Taiwanese who were deported back to the mainland was also a US citizen. The US government, on the other hand, didn't comment on the issue due to some privacy considerations. Mark Toner of the State Department is also seeking for further details of the case.
During the process of deportation, Taiwanese people were fuming on how the process was brought about. Kenyan authorities allegedly used excessive force including using tear gas to get the deportees on board the plane. Taiwan has also accused China of kidnapping eight of its citizens.
Mwenda Njoka, the spokesperson of the Kenyan Interior Ministry, defended their actions, saying the aforementioned illegal aliens came from China and they should be brought back from where they came from as per Reuters.
According to BBC, the incident forced Taiwan representatives from South Africa to go to Kenya in order to stop the deportation but was prevented from doing so by the Kenyan authority who also worked closely with Beijing. There was no clear indication regarding what city the deportees were returned to but Kenya Airways and China Southern both have flights to Guangzhou.
Amina Mohamed of the Kenyan Foreign Ministry admitted that they do not have an official foreign relation with Taiwan. Mohamed, however, recognizes their diplomatic relation with China and believes in the country's One China policy.
As reported by the New York Times, China has helped transform Kenya. Bridges, highways, malls and airports are just some of the contribution of the country to Kenya. China has also been involved in Kenya's national security measures.
Taiwan's Affairs office director, Zhang Zhijun, has already talked with Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council about the issue at hand. However, Zhang believe that any violations committed against the law should be brought to justice.
Taiwan has always been viewed by China as an unruly province. There are only 22 countries that recognize Taiwan as part of the Republic of China which includes Kenya.
