The owner of a Taichung-based tea company that recently won a French tea
competition award says two individuals, believed to be Chinese diplomats, had
tried to disrupt the awards ceremony.

Lishan Juxin Tea Industry C-E-O Leo Hsieh said two members of the Chinese
embassy in France who attended the "Teas of the World" contest earlier this
month shouted out slogans when the R-O-C flag was shown on the screen.

Hsieh has posted a video clip of the event on his social media pages.

The two individuals can been seen shouting "Taiwan is part of China" and
"Taiwan is just a province" in English when Hsieh's tea brand won a special
mention.

However, the outburst didn't interrupt the awards ceremony - some attendees
booed the two people, asking them to be quiet or leave the venue.

Hsieh says many participants at the ceremony offered him words of
encouragement following the incident.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it isn't known if the two people were
Chinese diplomats.