TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – China called on the organizers of the Festival Off Avignon cultural event in France to scrap Taiwan as its guest of honor, reports said Thursday (July 4).

Taiwan was chosen as the festival’s first-ever featured country due to its 17-year history of cooperation, per CNA. Yet, on the eve of the July 3-21 arts event, the Chinese embassy in Paris called the organizers, threatening to pull out if they went ahead with their plans for Taiwan.

While China had also actively participated in the event, with a celebration planned for 60 years of diplomatic relations with France, the organizers said they wanted to continue and emphasize the independence, autonomy, and diversity of the festival.

Co-organizer Harold David said that China might also be invited as a guest of honor in the future, but that they would not chase away a current guest just because another one did not agree with them. The festival was open to hearing different points of view, but would never accept violence and threats, said the other co-organizer, Laurent Domingos.

They added that the board of organizer Avignon Festival et Compagnies has not yet taken a stance on the dispute. The event does not want a dispute, but Chinese diplomats have taken a hard line on the issue, they said.