Taipei on Wednesday accused China of pressuring organizers of a Malaysian trade event to ban a Taiwanese beauty queen waving the island’s flag on stage.

Miss Taiwan Kao Man-jung was photographed crying as other participants in a beauty pageant appeared on stage during the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Congress of Innovation and Technology (WCIT) on Tuesday, according to Taiwanese authorities.

“China has pressured the Malaysian organizers to ban Miss Kao from holding our national flag on stage,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said, adding that it has instructed its representative office in Malaysia to file a formal complaint with the organizers.

Beijing regards the self-governing democratic island as part of its territory, which will one day be confiscated, if necessary by force.

It resists any international recognition of Taiwan and often reacts with anger to its flag being displayed at international events or by foreign celebrities.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said such a crackdown “would only further disgust the Taiwanese people and the international community” and accused Beijing of carrying out “heinous actions”.

Taiwanese media reported that Kao was stopped just as she was about to go on stage while other participants waved their countries’ flags.

AFP reached out to WCIT for comment.

Celebrities like US pop stars Madonna and Katy Perry have in the past sparked anger in China for displaying Taiwan’s flag, which Beijing sees as a sign of support for the island’s independence.

In 2016, a teenage Taiwanese K-pop singer was forced to apologize for waving the flag during an online broadcast, sparking anger and accusations in China that she was an independence advocate.

Her video apology went viral on the day of Taiwan’s 2016 presidential election, in which the island elected Tsai Ing-wen as its first female leader in a landslide victory.

China suspended all communications with Taiwan and increased military pressure after its victory because its government does not consider the island part of China.