China halts rail freight to Lithuania as feud deepens over Taiwan
- Sources say state train operator CRCT has suspended transit of cargoes ‘until further notice’, though there has been no official confirmation
- It comes amid a diplomatic row over decision to allow Taipei to open a ‘Taiwanese representative office’ in the Baltic state
Multiple sources confirmed Lithuanian media reports that the state train operator, China Railway Container Transport Co (CRCT), has halted the transit of cargoes “until further notice”, although there has been no official confirmation as yet.
“The trains which have been operating between China and Lithuania have been stopped. As I understand, the decision was made by the local state-owned company in charge of sending those trains. We have not yet seen any official letter or official order to cease the trains,” said one source involved in the trade who did not wish to be named, adding there were “no problems” on the route, and that a political motive was suspected.
CRCT, a subsidiary of China Railway Group, told Lithuanian clients that it would suspend direct freight operations, the Baltic News Service reported.
Despite this, Chinese state media reported that China Railway Group has denied that the order was given, leaving some ambiguity as to whether the suspension was official.
Gintanas Liubanas, a spokesman for Lithuanian Railways, said they had yet to receive any official notification about a suspension of service.