Key Takeaways:
- China severed diplomatic ties with Lithuania last month, following Taiwan’s establishment of a representative office in Vilnius.
A senior government official or an industry body told Reuters that China had told multinationals to cut ties with Lithuania or risk being barred from the Chinese market, dragging companies into a dispute between the Baltic state and Beijing.
China severed diplomatic ties with Lithuania last month, following Taiwan’s establishment of a representative office in Vilnius. Lithuania’s ruling coalition agreed in November last year to back “those fighting for freedom” in Taiwan, putting its relations with China at risk.
China considers self-ruled and democratically governed Taiwan its territory and has increased pressure on other countries to downgrade also sever ties with the island.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said that China followed international trade rules and once again chastised Lithuania for its stance on Taiwan.
“It has given the false impression that Taiwan is separate from China, seriously harmed China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and set an egregious precedent among the international community.”
Western nations would ‘pay the price,’ according to China.
China warned Western nations on Thursday that they would “pay the price” for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. As a French minister announced that his country would not join the US-backed effort.
Washington announced its decision not to send a diplomatic delegation earlier this week, citing widespread human rights violations by China and what it sees as “genocide” against the Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang.
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On Wednesday, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada followed suit in a flurry of diplomatic goodwill.
Canadian PMJustin Trudeau announced in Ottawa, who tweeted, “Canada remains deeply disturbed by reports of human rights violations in China.”
“As a result, will not be sending diplomatic representatives to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing.” Instead, we will continue to support our athletes who work tirelessly to compete on a global level.”
Soon after, Beijing received encouraging news from Paris, as Education and Sports Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer stated that France would not participate in the boycott.
“We must be cautious about the link between sports and politics,” Blanquer said in an interview with RMC radio and BFM television, adding that France would continue to condemn human rights violations in China.
Source: Hindustantimes
