The Ventotene affair, involving the visit by the Taiwanese vice-president and the protest from Beijing. “If you try to pander to a country like China, it will only end up making further demands. It will keep asking for more and more. But when you maintain a firm stance and set clear boundaries, then China will eventually accept the situation.”

Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim’s visit upsets the balance of power between Rome, Brussels, Taipei and Beijing. China protests but avoids a formal confrontation with Italy. The very recent precedents