Taiwan has sharply criticized Kenya after the country deported delegates from the island who were preparing to attend a global ocean conference in Mombasa, blaming Beijing for pressuring the East African nation.
Focus Taiwan, the English-language news site of Taiwan's Central News Agency, reported that two members of the delegation heading to the Our Ocean Conference were denied entry and detained by Kenyan immigration authorities.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that the scholars' passports and mobile phones were confiscated as they were held for more than 20 hours before being deported.
In a statement, the ministry condemned what it called “the brutal conduct of confiscating passports and mobile phones, restricting personal freedom and communication — actions that violate human rights and international norms.”
Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council (OAC), the government body responsible for maritime policy, said visas were revoked at the last minute and described the incident as a “brutal obstruction.”
OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling said that “political interference does not benefit ocean governance” at a time when “the world's oceans need more extensive and widespread cooperation.”
Kenya defended its decision to deport the Taiwanese representatives. Korir Sing’oei, Principal Secretary of Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said his country's foreign policy “recognizes only one China.”
“Anyone carrying an ordinary Taiwan passport will not be allowed through the border as they lack valid documentation and in any case cannot be part of an official meeting convened by the Kenyan government,” Sing’oei said.
China and Taiwan have been divided since the 1949 civil war. For decades, Beijing has viewed Taiwan as part of its territory and claimed the island must fall under its control, even by force if necessary.
Kenya is hosting the annual ocean conference, which focuses on critical ocean issues including climate change, biodiversity, and pollution. Organizers aim to make Africa, hosting the event for the first time, a driving force for global ocean governance.
The challenge for African and Commonwealth countries attending the conference is to advance implementation of the landmark treaty adopted in June 2023 to protect the high seas. Despite record commitments to marine conservation, most ocean protections worldwide remain only on paper.
Delegates said the coming months will be crucial in determining whether the treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction becomes a transformative tool for ocean conservation or just another set of international promises that never materialize.
