China is unhappy that Taiwan has opened a de facto embassy in Lithuania and slammed the Baltic country for allowing the office to be opened, calling it an “egregious” move.
Backing Lithuania, the US warned “other countries” against interfering in Lithuania’s relationship with the Chinese-claimed island. “We reject attempts of other countries to interfere in Lithuania’s sovereign decision to deepen cooperation with Taiwan,” said US Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya told reporters in Lithuania’s capital on Friday.
Taiwan announced in August that the facility would be called the Taiwanese Representative Office. Other Taiwanese offices in Europe and the US use the name of the capital Taipei, purposely avoiding using the island’s name.
China reacted to the August announcement by calling on Lithuania to withdraw its ambassador from Beijing. The US responded by agreeing to help Lithuania withstand any pressure from China. This week, Lithuania announced that it will sign a $600 million export credit agreement with the US next week.
Although the US has no formal ties with Taiwan, it has been taking steps in recent years to boost diplomatic relations with the island and is encouraging its allies to do the same as part of its strategy to counter China.