Jerusalem Post Defies China’s Threats to Downgrade Relations With Israel if it Doesn’t Pull Interview With Taiwan Leader: The ‘Story Ain’t Going Anywhere’
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu speaks during a press conference in Taipei on May 1, 2018. SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images
The editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, Yaakov Katz, publicly defied the Chinese government over the weekend when he made public their demand to “take down” his interview with Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
“Didn’t take long. Got call from Chinese embassy. 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,” Katz wrote on Twitter in response to a tweet of the interview.
“Needless to say, story ain’t going anywhere,” he added.
Didn’t take long. Got call from Chinese embassy. 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. https://t.co/BypRMTbc6W
— Yaakov Katz (@yaakovkatz) May 30, 2022
In the interview, Wu says “China is an authoritarian country and they do business in a very different philosophy.”
“Sometimes they use trade as a weapon, and we have seen them practicing their weaponized trade relations with many other countries,” he continues. Israel and China have a burgeoning trade and security relationship.
“So, when we do business with an authoritarian country, we need to be very careful,” Wu added, clearly raising the ire of the Chinese. “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.”
Katz also retweeted a message from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs blasting the Chinese demand for the story to be removed:
Can’t imagine what kind of rogue diplomat dares threaten the great state of #Israel, its media independence & freedom. Or perhaps the expansion of authoritarianism has no upper bound & forbidden zone after all? JW
Can’t imagine what kind of rogue diplomat dares threaten the great state of #Israel, its media independence & freedom. Or perhaps the expansion of authoritarianism has no upper bound & forbidden zone after all? JW https://t.co/V2KqKZWvnu
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) May 31, 2022
The tweet signed “JW,” appears to have been a direct message from Joseph Wu.
The Chinese Embassy in Israel released a statement publicly condemning Katz and the interview on Wednesday. The statement reiterated China’s claim to Taiwan, “the one-China principle,” and called the issue an “internal affair.”
“We demand The Jerusalem Post to respect China’s core interests and the Chinese people’s national sentiments, refrain from being manipulated by ‘Taiwan Independence’ forces and foreign anti-China forces, and take real actions to eliminate the egregious impacts of the interview and contribute to China-Israel relations,” the statement added.
Just when I thought it was over, this comes via email.
Thank you China for the note, but let me clarify that respect – as you ask for – does not include ignoring hard truths and telling stories about Taiwan to the world. That’s exactly what the @Jerusalem_Post will keep doing. pic.twitter.com/AD9sXjjNto
— Yaakov Katz (@yaakovkatz) June 1, 2022
Katz responded on Twitter, saying, “Just when I thought it was over, this comes via email.”
“Thank you China for the note, but let me clarify that respect – as you ask for – does not include ignoring hard truths and telling stories about Taiwan to the world. That’s exactly what the @Jerusalem_Post will keep doing,” he concluded.
