China hyperventilates at tiny Lithuania's recognition of Taiwan & UK's support

After UK Secretary of the State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Liz Truss asserted UK’s support to Lithuania and stated that she had held an assertive discussion on United Kingdom’s “approach on China” with Lithuania’s Foreign Minister on Tuesday, China has reacted strongly against her statement. The Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom issued a statement on Thursday urging the UK to avoid putting additional barriers in the way of the development of the China-UK partnership.

China fumes at UK’s support to Lithuania, urges the UK to avoid additional barriers

The Chinese Ambassador reinforced the UK government to have a ‘right understanding of the issue’ and to not create disagreements for better ties. “China urges the UK to have a right understanding of the relevant issue, handle it properly, and refrain from creating new obstacles for the development of the China-UK relationship,” the statement read.

Speaking on the issue of Lithuania’s support for Taiwan and it acknowledging and approving the establishment of Taiwan’s embassy, China said that Lithuania is against the idea of ‘One-China’ as China claims the island nation part of its national territory. The statement issued by China further added that, “Lithuania’s handling of the Taiwan question gravely contravenes the One-China principle and severely undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. China’s response to this announcement is legitimate and reasonable.”
 
Denying the claims of China threatening Lithuania, in the statement, Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zeguang said, “China is a force for peace and stability. China’s development does not pose any threat to any country, but will only create opportunities for the common development of all countries.”

On October 11, Liz Truss had earlier tweeted that she had discussed "approach to China" with Lithuania's Foreign Minister. Furthermore, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) released a statement stating that the UK Foreign Secretary supports Lithuania and other relevant countries in "challenging the threat" posed by countries such as China.

The tension between Lithuania has been escalating for several months. Earlier in July, China had threatened Lithuania on allowing Taiwan to open a de-facto embassy in the Baltic country. China disapproved of the move and said that these attempts by foreign nations send the wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence forces’, since China asserts its control on Taiwan. Furthermore, Lithuania also announced earlier this year that it intends to build its own representative office in Taiwan, angering Beijing.

Image: Twitter/ AP