中國警告立陶宛讓台灣開設有實無名的大使館

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China warns Lithuania over Taiwan opening de facto embassy

Mon., July 19, 2021, 7:53 p.m.

BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -China warned Lithuania on Tuesday not to "send the wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces" after the Chinese-claimed island said it would open a de facto embassy in the Baltic country, a move the United States strongly backed.

Beijing considers the democratically-governed island to be part of "one China", and it is the country's most sensitive territorial issue.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office said it opposed any country with which it maintains diplomatic ties having official relations with Taiwan.

"We urge Lithuania to abide by the one-China principle and not to send the wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces," it said in a statement.

Lithuania said earlier this year it plans to open its own representative office in Taiwan, a decision that also angered Beijing. The country announced last month it would donate 20,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said the new mission in Vilnius would be called the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, the first time the island's name has been used for one of its offices in Europe, as normally only "Taipei" is used.

"Taiwan and Lithuania are both at the strategic forefront of defending democratic institutions," Wu said.

"I believe that through the close connection of shared values, the two countries' peoples can work together to play a positive role in the international community and contribute to world peace, stability and prosperity."

The United States welcomed the move, with its de facto embassy in Taiwan saying: "All countries should be free to pursue closer ties and greater cooperation with Taiwan, a leading democracy, a major economy, and a force for good in the world".

Only 15 countries have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but many others have de facto embassies which are often termed trade offices, as is the case for the European Union, of which Lithuania is a member state.

China has ramped up pressure on countries not to engage with Taiwan.

In February, the South American country of Guyana revoked a deal for Taiwan to open a representative office there only a day after Taipei had announced it. Taiwan blamed Chinese "bullying" for the decision.

 (Reporting by Beijing newsroom and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

Translation

北京/台北（路透社）- 繼(中國聲稱擁有的)台灣說它將在波羅的海國家開設有實無名的大使館後，中國周二警告立陶宛不要“向台獨勢力發出錯誤信號”。美國強烈支持台灣此舉。

北京認為這個由民主政府管理的台灣島嶼是“一個中國”的一部分，是中國最敏感的領土問題。

中國國台辦表示，反對任何國家與台灣有正式的外交關係。

在一份聲明中說:“我們敦促立陶宛恪守一個中國原則，不要向台獨勢力發出錯誤信號” 。

立陶宛今年早些時候表示，它計劃在台灣開設自己的代表處，這一決定也激怒了北京。該國上個月宣布將向台灣捐贈 20,000 劑 COVID-19 疫苗。

台灣外交部長吳釗燮表示，在維爾紐斯(Vilnius)的新駐立陶宛代表將被命名為台灣駐立陶宛辦事處。這是台灣在歐洲的辦事處首次使用該島的名稱，因為通常只使用“台北”。

吳釗燮表示:“台灣和立陶宛都站在捍衛民主制度的戰略最前線”。

又說:“我相信，通過共同價值觀的密切聯繫，兩國人民可以共同努力，為國際社會發揮積極作用，為世界和平、穩定與繁榮作出貢獻。”

美國對此舉表示歡迎。其駐台灣有實無名的大使館表示：“所有國家都應該自由地與台灣，一個領先的民主國家，一個主要經濟體和一股向善的力量尋求更緊密的聯繫和更大的合作”。

只有 15 個國家與台灣建立了正式的外交關係，但許多其他國家設有有實無名的大使館，通常被稱為貿易辦事處，例如歐盟。立陶宛是歐盟的成員國。

中國已加大壓力，要求各國不要與台灣接觸。

在2月，當台北宣布南美國家圭亞那會譲台灣開設代表處後僅一天, 圭亞那就撤銷那協議。對這事件, 台灣指責中國"欺淩"。

              I am interested in knowing whether Lithuania will later revoke the deal for Taiwan to open a trade office in its country too. Probably China’s foreign office is now trying hard to stop Lithuania to honor the deal.