China Draws Red Line on Taiwan With Recall of Lithuania Envoy
- Rare move seen as warning to other European Union countries
- Taiwan opened first Europe office under its name in Lithuania
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China withdrew its ambassador from Lithuania to protest the European nation’s move to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy, sending a rare warning to others that might seek more formal ties with Taipei.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced in a statement Tuesday that it had recalled Ambassador Shen Zhifei from Vilnius and demanded Lithuania’s envoy to leave Beijing. The ministry blamed the move on the Baltic state’s decision to allow Taipei to open a representative office under the name of Taiwan, something that “severely undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”