Taiwan lambasts China over Lithuania intimidation, says CCP 'has no right to interfere'

Lambasting China for its continued intimidation of Taiwan’s diplomacy with other nations of the world, the self-ruled island’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Sunday iterated that exchanges between Taiwan and Lithuania are a “matter between the two countries and nothing to do with Beijing”. The council, in charge of cross-strait affairs, noted in a statement that China has no right to intervene or instruct Taipei with whom to develop or strengthen ties.

MAC’s official statement was issued in the backdrop of China downgrading its diplomatic relations with Lithuania in a retaliatory move after the latter established a de facto representative office in the Baltic state’s capital Vilnius, a first in Europe in nearly 18 years. Overall, Taiwan has just 15 formal diplomatic allies. 

Both the self-governing island and Lithuania agreed in July that the representative office would be named Taiwan rather than Chinese Taipei, a decision that aggravated Beijing. Taiwan typically uses "Taipei Economic and Cultural Office" or "Taipei Representative Office" as the name for its diplomatic offices in most countries due to Beijing’s preference to avoid the semblance of treating Taiwan as a separate nation under the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s "one-China" policy.

After the office was inaugurated earlier last week, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson had warned, that Lithuania's recent act violates China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and it grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs. China also threatened Lithuanian to “immediately correct its wrong decision,” also hurtling “stern warnings” for Taiwan. 

Inauguration of the de facto embassy in Lithuania. Credit: Twitter/@MOFATaiwan

Not an 'internal affair' as described by China

On Sunday, MAC denounced China's so-called retaliatory measures and belligerence on the other countries for exchanges with Taiwan as “barbaric." The decision to open representative offices and develop a friendly, cooperative relationship reflects a basic right for members of the international community, the MAC said in a statement. “MAC sternly cautioned the Beijing authorities that Taiwan is a democratic society adhering to the rule of law, and is not under the jurisdiction of the other side across the Taiwan Strait; therefore, Taiwan rejects intimidation and threats from the authoritarian regime,” the council asserted. 

"This is not an internal affair as described by China" but a matter between Taiwan and Lithuania, which Beijing has no right to comment on,” MAC’s statement read on Nov. 28. It then asked China to respect the international norms and the cross-strait reality.

MAC had also earlier accused China of ignorance, emphasizing that the Beijing authorities “fail to recognize” the current situation in the world and present status of cross-Strait relations, and has “wantonly imposed and wishfully depicted a development path for a post-unification Taiwan.” Further, the council rejected CCP's “one country, two systems" initiative stressing that the sole purpose of this initiative was to “lure” Taiwan into unification.