China said on Thursday that it had stopped issuing visas in Lithuania, as the two countries spar over Taiwan.

"Due to technical reasons, consular services will be suspended from November 25," the Chinese embassy said in a statement.

"The date of resumption of services will be notified later."

The move came after China downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania last week in protest against Vilnius's decision to allow Taiwan to open a representative office under its own name.

Beijing baulks at any official use of the word "Taiwan", lest it lend a sense of international legitimacy to the island, which China considers part of its territory.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Thursday said Lithuania "has betrayed" the trust of Beijing.

"It will eventually pay the price," he said.

The opening of the Vilnius office is the latest sign that some Baltic and Central European countries are seeking closer relations with Taiwan, even if that angers China.

In May, Lithuania announced it was quitting China's 17+1 cooperation forum with Central and Eastern European states, calling it "divisive".

Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Biden invites Taiwan to democracy summit alongside 110 countries
Washington (AFP) Nov 24, 2021
Joe Biden has invited Taiwan to a virtual summit on democracy alongside more than 100 countries - a move that sparked indignation from authoritarian China, which is not on the list. Taiwan thanked Biden for the invitation and said the gathering would be a rare opportunity for the self-ruled democracy to burnish its credentials on the world stage. "Through this summit, Taiwan can share its democratic success story," Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang told reporters. China said it "f ... read more