China threatens Lithuania over Taiwan office opening
BEIJING (AP) — China is threatening to retaliate against Lithuania after the Baltic nation allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in its capital. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian says Lithuania will “reap what it sows,” but gave no details. He described the move as an “egregious act” that “grossly interferes” in China’s internal affairs. The office, which opened Thursday, bears the name Taiwan rather than “Chinese Taipei,” which is used by the International Olympic Committee and many foreign nations to avoid offending China, which claims the self-governing island democracy as its own territory. Taiwan maintains informal ties with all major nations through trade offices that act as de facto embassies, including in the United States and Japan.