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Taiwan opens de facto embassy in Lithuania, despite angry reaction earlier from Beijing
- Taiwan pledges to ‘cherish and promote this new friendship based on our shared values’ with Baltic state
- Beijing has stepped up efforts to get other countries to limit their interactions with Taipei, or cut it off altogether
Taiwan opened a de facto embassy in Lithuania on Thursday, in a diplomatic breakthrough for the self-ruled island as it brushed aside Beijing’s strong opposition to the move.
An enraged Beijing in August recalled its ambassador to the Baltic state and demanded Vilnius do the same, after Taipei announced its office in the city would be called the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania.
Other Taiwan offices in Europe and the United States use Taipei in their name, avoiding a reference to the island itself, which Beijing claims as its own territory awaiting reunification.
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China insists Taiwan has no right to join United Nations
China insists Taiwan has no right to join United Nations
Beijing has stepped up efforts to get other countries to limit their interactions with Taipei, or cut it off altogether. Only 15 countries now have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Beijing has also been angered by Lithuania’s decision to open its own representative office in Taiwan, though no firm date has been set for that yet.
Lithuania says its rocky ties with China are a ‘wake-up call’ for Europe
Lithuania says its rocky ties with China are a ‘wake-up call’ for Europe
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the opening of the office would chart “a new and promising course” for ties with Lithuania.
There was huge potential for cooperation in industries including semiconductors, lasers and fintech, it said.
“Taiwan will cherish and promote this new friendship based on our shared values.”
The dispute with Lithuania over Taiwan has also sucked in the United States, which has offered its support to Vilnius to withstand Chinese pressure.
Many other countries maintain de facto embassies in Taipei, including several of Lithuania’s fellow European Union member states, Britain, Australia and the United States.
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