China slams Chinese Taipei’s plan to open embassy in Lithuania

China has slammed a plan by Chinese Taipei to open an embassy in Lithuania, urging Vilnius to respect Chinese sovereignty over the self-ruled island.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office warned Lithuania on Tuesday “not to send the wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces.”

It also urged the Baltic country to “abide by the One China principle,” according to which countries recognize Chinese sovereignty over Chinese Taipei and avoid having diplomatic relations with the self-ruled island.

Chinese Taipei’s foreign minister Joseph Wu said in a virtual briefing on Tuesday that the island’s new mission would be called the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania and not the Taipei Office, a reference used in the past to refer to missions set up by Chinese Taipei in countries. Wu did not give an exact date as to when the embassy would open.

The United States, meanwhile, openly supported the move saying, “All countries should be free to pursue closer ties and greater cooperation with Taiwan.”

Even though it formally recognizes the One China policy, the United States has direct relations with the government in Chinese Taipei and has recently raised the level of its diplomatic contacts with the island.