Taipei, Dec. 17 -- Staff from the Chinese embassy attempted to disrupt an awards ceremony at an international tea competition in France earlier this month after the organiser mentioned Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, according to a report in the Taipei Times.

Hsieh Chung-lin, chief executive of the Juxin Tea Factory in Lishan, Taichung, attended the Teas of the World International Contest on December 2, held at the Peruvian Embassy in Paris.

He received a special award for his Huagang Snow Source Tea from the nonprofit Agency for the Valorisation of Agricultural Products (AVPA).

During the award ceremony, two representatives from the Chinese embassy stood up and shouted, "Taiwan is just a province of China" and "Taiwan...