Taiwan Photo: Unsplash

 China firmly opposes the mutual establishment of official agencies and official exchanges in all forms between the Taiwan region and countries having diplomatic relations with China including Lithuania, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Thursday in response to Lithuania’s plan to open a trade representation office in the island of Taiwan.

There is only one China in the world, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, Wang said at a regular press conference on Thursday.

“We urge the Lithuanian side to stay true to the one-China principle, abide by the commitments it made upon establishing diplomatic ties with China, refuse to be taken advantage of by Taiwan separatist forces, and avoid doing anything detrimental to bilateral political mutual trust,” Wang noted.

Lithuania said the 17+1 economic and trade cooperation mechanism between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) “did not bring the expected result,” Reuters reported on Wednesday. When asked about that statement, Wang said this cooperation mechanism is not dominated by China but jointly initiated by China and CEECs, and it meets the aspiration of all the parties to seek common development.


“The principle of freewill-based consultation, joint contribution, openness and inclusiveness is always upheld in advancing cooperation,” Wang said.

He also added that over the past nine years since its establishment, the China-CEEC cooperation has yielded fruitful results, delivered tangible benefits to the people of all participating countries and served as a useful complement to the China-EU relations.”

“We have full confidence in its prospects and stand ready to work with like-minded friends for more fruitful China-CEEC cooperation, which will also boost and invigorate bilateral cooperation between China and relevant countries,” Wang noted.