China is saying Nauru should apologise to it rather than the other way around.
This follows a clash at this week's Pacific Islands Forum summit in Nauru where the Chinese delegate was stopped from speaking during a dialogue with the Pacific leaders.
National flags in Nauru for the Pacific Islands Forum. Photo: New Zealand Herald/Jason Oxenham
Nauru, which is a supporter of Taiwan, later demanded a formal apology, with its president Baron Waqa calling the Chinese official, Du Qiwen, insolent and a bully.
Reuters in Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Nauru was to blame for the drama.
She said the Nauru president was probably very happy about becoming a focus of public opinion.
But she said what Nauru said was diametrically the opposite of the facts.
Hua said Nauru has totally confused right and wrong and made bogus accusations.
She suggested that Taiwan was behind the fracas.
Nauru's President Baron Waqa. Photo: AFP
