China threatens to retaliate against Lithuania after Baltic nation allows Taiwan to open representative office in capital
BEIJING – China on Friday threatened to retaliate against Lithuania after the Baltic nation allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in its capital, Vilnius.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Lithuania “will reap what it sows”, but gave no details.
Zhao described Lithuania’s move as a “flagrant act” that “grossly interferes” in China’s internal affairs.
The office, which opened on Thursday, is named after Taiwan rather than “Chinese Taipei,” which is used by the International Olympic Committee and many foreign countries to avoid offending China, which claims self-governing island democracy. like its own territory.
Taiwan has just 15 official diplomatic allies, but maintains informal ties with all major nations through trade offices that act as de facto embassies, notably to the United States and Japan.
It was unclear what actions China plans to take in response to the opening of the office. Beijing has already recalled its ambassador from Vilnius and expelled the ambassador from Lithuania.
Lithuania plans to open a representative office in Taipei by the end of the year and has withdrawn from the “17 plus one” deal launched by China to move closer to European countries from the East.
The threat from China underlines its extreme sensitivity to any challenge to what it considers to be its “fundamental interests”, as it pursues its increasingly assertive foreign policy.
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ABC News