On Wednesday, China welcomed Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda’s comment that allowing Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius under its name was a mistake, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.
“Recognising a mistake is a step in the right direction, but more importantly, action must be taken,” the SCMP quoted Wang Wenbin, spokesman of the Chinese foreign ministry, as saying.
Lithuania’s relations with China soured last year after Vilnius allowed Taipei to open its representation under the name “Taiwan”. Beijing, which considers the self-ruled island part of China, has accused Lithuania of violating the so-called One China policy.
“I think it was not the opening of the Taiwanese office that was a mistake, but the name, which was not coordinated with me,” Nausėda told the Žinių Radijas radio station on Tuesday.
While both Lithuania and Taiwan can open representative offices that do not have diplomatic status, “the name of the office became a key factor that now has a very strong impact on our relations with China […] and we have to deal with the consequences”, according to the president.
Lithuania has become subject to undeclared economic sanctions from China after it opened the Taiwanese office.
Lithuanian exporters have said they were facing obstacles in doing business in China. Moreover, Beijing has been reportedly pressuring international companies trading with China to drop Lithuanian suppliers.
Read more: China pressures Germany’s car parts giant Continental to give up Lithuanian components – media
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