A Chinese diplomat in Fiji was injured earlier this month after a Taipei Trade Office employee provoked embassy staff at a local hotel, the Chinese Embassy in Fiji said on Monday.

The Taipei Trade Office in Fiji held a so-called National Day event at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva on October 8, a move that violates the one-China principle as it sought to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" internationally, the embassy said in a statement.

The staff from the trade office "acted provocatively against the Chinese Embassy staff who were carrying out their official duties in the public area outside the function venue, causing damage and injuries to one Chinese diplomat," it said.

"We have expressed our serious concerns to the Fijian side about the above incidents, requesting the Police Force of Fiji to carry out thorough investigation into the incidents and hold the perpetrators accountable according to law."

Earlier, a Reuters report said two Chinese diplomats attacked an official from the Taipei office who ended up in the hospital.

"There is only one China in the world, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory," the embassy said.

China and the Pacific island country established diplomatic relations in 1975.

According to official Chinese data, the bilateral trade reached over $482 million in 2018, representing a 26-percent increase from the year before.

China highly appreciates the Fijian government for upholding the one-China principle and expects that the Fijian side will tackle this issue properly, the embassy said.

Foreign Ministry: Taiwan is playing the trick of a thief crying 'stop thief'

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday said Taiwan is playing the trick of a thief crying "stop thief," and stressed that any attempt to use the Taiwan issue to provoke ties between China and Pacific island countries will not succeed.

There is no "diplomatic relationship" between Taiwan and Fiji, said spokesperson Zhao Lijian. The Fijian government has always adhered to the one-China principle, and it urged Taiwan's business institution to stop creating "two Chinas" and "one China, one Taiwan" in 2019, which China highly appreciates, he said.

Zhao reiterated that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.