Beijing accuses US of inciting Lithuania over Taiwan

BEIJING — Beijing connected Monday accused Washington of inciting Lithuania to “contain China” successful a feud implicit the presumption of self-ruled Taiwan aft U.S. officials expressed enactment for the European Union-member state successful the look of Chinese economical pressure.

Lithuania is the latest flashpoint successful China’s run to unit companies and overseas governments to follow its positions connected Taiwan, Tibet and different delicate issues.

“The United States has instigated the Lithuanian authorities to undermine the ‘one-China principle’,” said a overseas ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin. “It has supported, aided and abetted them successful going further down the incorrect way to execute its governmental calculations to incorporate China.”

American and Lithuanian officials accidental China has blocked imports from the bluish European state since the Taiwanese authorities was allowed to unfastened a commercialized bureau determination nether the sanction Taiwan.

In a telephone telephone past week, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai expressed “strong support” to a European authoritative for Lithuania “in the look of economical coercion,” Tai’s bureau said successful connected its website.

Taiwan and China person been ruled separately since splitting amid civilian warfare successful 1949. The mainland’s ruling Communist Party ne'er has controlled the land but claims it arsenic portion of Chinese territory and threatens to invade.

The U.S. and astir different governments, including Lithuania, person diplomatic relations lone with Beijing but support commercialized and informal governmental ties with Taiwan’s democratically elected government. Most governments acquiesce to Chinese unit by requiring Taiwanese entities to run nether the sanction Chinese Taipei.

Beijing retaliated for Lithuania’s determination by expelling the Lithuanian ambassador. Lithuania has closed its embassy successful Beijing.