Lithuania considers modifying Taiwan representation name to defuse row with China

[beijingwalker]

Lithuania considers modifying Taiwan representation name to defuse row with China​

Chinese state-run media says 'it will take much more than just renaming the office'​

By Keoni Everington, Taiwan News
2022/01/26 09:39

(CNA photo)

VILNIUS, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Lithuanian officials, seeking to defuse a row with China, are discussing whether to ask their Taiwanese counterparts to modify the Chinese translation of the name of Taiwan's de-facto embassy in Vilnius, two sources told Reuters.

The self-ruled island that China views as part of its territory has other offices in Europe and the United States but they use the name of the city Taipei, avoiding reference to the island itself.
The row erupted after the Baltic state allowed the opening of the Taiwanese Representation office in Vilnius.

China has downgraded its diplomatic relationship with Lithuania and pressed multinationals to sever ties with the country or face exclusion from its market.

That is an unusually harsh move that has dragged companies into a political dispute and placed Beijing on a collision course with the European Union.

Modifying the Chinese version of the representation name to refer to "Taiwanese people" rather than to Taiwan, was last week proposed by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis to President Gitanas Nauseda as a way to reduce the tensions with China, sources said.

The change, which would bring the name in line with those used in Lithuanian and English, would need Taiwan's agreement.

The President's office refused to comment. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not reply to a request for comment.

It is not possible for any single gesture by Lithuania to change China's attitude, said Linas Kojala, who heads the Vilnius Eastern European Studies Centre think-tank.

"The government probably wants to emphasise that the office represents not Taiwan as a political entity, but the Taiwanese people with whom Lithuania wants to establish cultural, economic and other relationships," he said.

Chinese tabloid newspaper the Global Times published an article on Saturday saying that "it will take much more than just renaming the office" for Lithuania to mend its relationship with China.

"Lithuania needs to make substantial adjustments to its overall China policy, rather than completely follow the US' agenda," said the article in The Global Times, which is published by the People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party.

Lithuania considers modifying Taiwan representation name to defuse row with China | Taiwan News | Jan. 26, 2022 09:39

www.taiwannews.com.tw

 

[MH.Yang]

At this stage, this is no longer a matter of name. Obviously, the Lithuanian govt provoked China in accordance with the order of the USA.
Therefore, changing the name will not affect the essence of the problem, and the Lithuanian government should show more sincerity. For example, the officials who caused the problem.

 

[Stranagor]

If Lithuanian government officials have IQs higher than the hats they wear, they would not wait for Taiwan office in Vilnius to do it by their own speed. They would require it to be done, otherwise, simply kick them out.

Plus, Vilnius should reaffirm commitment to One-China policy, and cut some heads as a show of sincere regret.

It is the economy, stupid. If Trump were running that country, he would have not only fired the incompetent officials, but also given each of them some funny nicknames. So funny, the nicknames would stick to them firmer than their own names.

 

[beijingwalker]

Lithuania should take real actions to correct mistakes: Taiwan Affairs Office
By Global Times
Published: Jan 26, 2022 01:57 PM

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson with the Taiwan Affairs Office of State Council. Photo: VCG



State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday urged Lithuania to take real actions to correct its mistakes and reiterated that China firmly opposes any activities that jeopardize the one-China principle.

Spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office Zhu Fenglian made the remarks at Wednesday's press conference in response to foreign media reports saying Lithuanian foreign minister proposed to change the Chinese name of the island of Taiwan's representative office in Lithuania while keeping the names in English and Lithuanian.

The Chinese mainland and Lithuania entered a severe diplomatic spat that ended up with a downgrade of relations after Lithuania allowed a representative office of the island of Taiwan to bear the name "Taiwan."

In her response to another question on Slovenian president Janez Jansa's Taiwan-related remarks, Zhu said the one-China principle is the norm of international relations and the general consensus of the international community.

"We believe relevant countries will fully recognize it and handle Taiwan-related affairs properly," Zhu said.

The spokesperson also said it was nothing new that the Democratic Progressive Party authority uses money to pursue a secessionist agenda. What they're spending is money hard earned by Taiwan people, she said.

Such "money diplomacy" is laughable and damages Taiwan people's interests and well-being, Zhu said.

Global Times

Lithuania should take real actions to correct mistakes: Taiwan Affairs Office - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

 

[northeast]

Well,that wouldn't be enough for now. They should be taught a harsh lesson to make an example.

 

[beijingwalker]

Lithuania won’t smoothen China ties by mere name change
Beijing must straighten out case with Vilnius over dangerous spillover
By GT staff reporters
Published: Jan 26, 2022 11:33 PM

A citizen walks on the street in Siauliai, Lithuania, Nov. 6, 2021. File Photo:Xinhua

Whether Lithuania seeks to change the name of the island of Taiwan's representative office in the country, the Baltic country has long overlooked the fact that the fundamental solution of smoothening frayed ties between Beijing and Vilnius is for the latter to acknowledge its mistake and eliminate the negative impact caused by its reckless actions, said Chinese experts, after media reported Lithuania was considering modifying the representation of the island of Taiwan.

Beijing will never settle for opportunistic tricks such as a mere name change, nor Lithuanian politicians' sugar-coated words; it needs real actions, observers noted.

Reuters quoted sources as saying on Tuesday that Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis proposed to the country's president last week to modify the Chinese version of the representation name to refer to the "Taiwan people," to defuse its row with Beijing.

The change, which would bring the name in line with those used in Lithuanian and English, would need Taiwan's agreement, according to Reuters.

Taiwan authority said there has been no request to change the name. Local media also cited "sources" from Lithuania as saying that the Reuters report is not true.

It does not matter if Lithuania seeks to change the name, because it is daydreaming to think that a mere name change would soothe bilateral ties. It failed or deliberately turned a blind eye to realize the fundamental blunder it made, Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.

Relations between China and Lithuania soured after the Baltic state allowed the island of Taiwan to open its so-called representative office in Lithuania in November, which China called a blatant violation of the one-China principle and international rules. China later downgraded its diplomatic relations with Lithuania to the level of chargé d'affaires.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, also said at a Wednesday press conference that "we oppose any action that damages the one-China principle. Hopefully, Lithuania can take real action to right previous wrongs."

Lithuania's action defied the one-China principle. It needs more than an "opportunistic" tactic of a name change to fix the cracks, said Cui, noting that Lithuania needs to first acknowledge its mistakes, take real action to show its sincerity, and eliminate the negative impact on international society caused by Lithuania's own bungling act.

After ties soured, Lithuania has been trying to hijack and lure the EU to take action against China. On January 14, EU foreign ministers met during an informal meeting to discuss the relationship between the EU and China. Instead, the meeting yielded a verbal support for Vilnius.

The spat has also split officials in Lithuania. President Gitanas Nauseda called the name a "mistake," while foreign ministry polling last month showed just 13 percent of Lithuanians backed the government's policy on China.

The Financial Times reported that US diplomats have also floated the idea of changing the name with Lithuanian officials. But the White House denied the report; and a spokesperson for the National Security Council even added that the US had told Lithuania that it would support its sovereign decisions.

The US has always been behind Lithuania to egg on the latter to make bad decisions, and push Lithuania to the frontline of conflicts with China, as well as losses, Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times. Observers noted that for Lithuania to realize its wrongdoing, it first needs to make decisions independent of the US.

It seems that the Lithuanian case failed to teach a lesson, and a few other countries followed suit. Some politicians in Slovenia, Estonia and the Czech Republic also flirted with the idea of pulling closer ties with Taiwan authority.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa referred to Taiwan in an interview with Indian TV station Doordarshan last week as a "democratic country" and called Beijing's response to Lithuania's provocations "terrifying" and "ridiculous."

Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said later that the Chinese side is shocked by and strongly opposes the dangerous remarks by the Slovenian leader who flagrantly challenged the one-China principle and voiced support for "Taiwan independence."

If China fails to straighten out the case with Lithuania, and make it realize its mistake, the accident will have dangerous ramifications to other countries, who believe that small gestures could be made to defuse the conflict if they cross China's red line, said experts, noting such fantasy much be nipped in the bud.

Lithuania won’t smoothen China ties by mere name change - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

 

[mazeto]

The Chinese may or may not realise it, but every time a Western power buckles to the new reality, it's a tremendous confidence booster to the rest of humanity that have to bear the unending Western tyranny for a couple centuries. For a few decades in the last century Japan was their light, but it got quickly subsumed in the darkness of the West.
Slowly but surely, we are witnessing the change of not an era, but an epoch in the history of mankind. We are lucky to be living it. From seeing the behemoth crush every other civilisation , religion, culture and society with complete impunity a few short decades back, the rise of China has enabled even the tiniest of "shithole" nations to have a voice today.
Initially nations like Sweden, Canada, NZ etc had to learn to behave. With time we have Lithuania and Australia literally begging to deescalate. Too bad many nations are already extinguished by these evil people..
In that sense, China has indeed received the Mandate of Heaven to redeem humanity from the dark clouds of the anglosphere( by default that is; Not in the missionary sense of Western Nations
" saving " humanity by genociding them) . Hope they don't loose it by wanton misuse of their power.

 

[TNT]

Lithuanians are generally stupid ppl as i have observed, they jumped too high between fight of giants and got slapped out of the park. I say china should squeeze them so hard that they literally start begging. They presented themselves to be made example out of, so china should make an example out of them.