China has attacked the United States over support for Lithuania in a dispute over Taiwan
China attacked the United States on Thursday over its support for Lithuania in its confrontation with Beijing over its ties with Taiwan.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said Washington was using Vilnius to “oppress China via Taiwan.”
“The US side is defending Lithuania’s wrong move to create” one China, one Taiwan “and is also trying to gather a small click in favor of Taiwan’s independence forces,” Wang Wenbin told a news conference.
He made such statements to the heads of US and German diplomacy on Wednesday that China’s pressure on Lithuania was unjustified.
Recently, the decision has angered China to allow a Taiwanese mission to operate in Lithuania, using the name of the island in its name. Experts say the Chinese name of the mission sounds like a Taiwanese mission. Beijing sees Taiwan’s attempts to act as the state needs.
Elsewhere in the world, Taiwanese missions are acting on behalf of the capital, Taipei, following an international consensus that such a name is not in conflict with the “one China policy”.
After opening a representative office in Vilnius in November, Beijing officially downgraded the diplomatic mission with Lithuania to the trustees.
After China proposed that the Lithuanian Embassy in Beijing be renamed the Office of the Chargé d’Affaires d ‘affair, the head of the diplomatic mission and the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, Vilnius, was recalled to Vilnius.
The US side defends Lithuania’s wrong move to create “one China, one Taiwan”.
Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has promised to take it back someday, if necessary by force.
Due to the constant Beijing press, the number of official Taipei diplomatic unions has dropped to 14, despite informal ties with the United States, Germany and most other powerful states.
Wang Wenbin also criticized Taiwan’s promise to set up $ 200 million. USD (176.7 million euros) fund for investments in Lithuania for the development of economic relations, the country is under pressure from China.
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry called the decision “dollar diplomacy” and added that “a request for foreign support for Taiwan’s independence can only lead to a stalemate.”
The Lithuanian government has decided to establish a trade representative office in Taipei.
Taipei claims to be in a flow situation for Lithuania to restore trade, disrupting China’s admission of some goods.
“Beijing has blocked more than 120 maritime containers worth 1.5 million. euros. We are taking them all and helping Lithuanian companies, ”said Eric Huang, the head of the Taiwanese representative in Lithuania.
After meeting with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “We are directly concerned about the Chinese government’s attempts to intimidate Lithuania.”
According to A. Blinken, Beijing is pressuring European and American companies to stop using Lithuanian components in the production of products, otherwise threatening to ban these companies from selling in the Chinese market.
A. Baerbock, in turn, noted that “we Europeans show solidarity with Lithuania”.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not directly confirm that a trade ban or other retaliatory measures had been imposed on Lithuania, but emphasized that Vilnius had crossed the “red line”.
The Chinese ruling Communist Party has broad powers to put pressure on companies in its country that do not follow the government’s political and diplomatic line.