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China to halt direct freight train service to Lithuania: MOFA

ROC Central News Agency

08/19/2021 08:07 PM

Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Thursday confirmed media reports that a Chinese freight operator has decided to halt its direct train service to Lithuania, in apparent retaliation by Beijing over a spat relating to Taiwan.

"MOFA is aware of the reports that the state-owned China Railway Container Transport Co. (CRCT) will stop direct cargo trains to Lithuania by the end of August," MOFA spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.

"The reports are confirmed to be accurate," as determined by MOFA through various sources, she said.

Rail freight is one of the most economic and convenient ways for China to export its goods to Lithuania and is subsidized by the government, Ou said.

MOFA opposes the use of trade and economic activities to sanction anyone, she said, urging all countries to respect the spirit of free trade.

Ou also said Taiwan is willing to deepen its economic links with all like-minded partners, including Lithuania.

Her statement came after the Baltic News Service reported Tuesday that it had obtained a copy of a letter sent by CRCT to its Lithuanian clients, notifying them that all direct freight trains to Vilnius would be canceled, with effect from late August, until further notice.

The cancellation was due to the political tensions between Lithuania and China, the Baltic News Service said, citing the letter.

On Wednesday, however, CRCT said in a statement on its website that the report was inaccurate.

"We did not issue any such notice. Currently, rail freight between China and Lithuania remains normal," said CRCT, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Railway Group.

Meanwhile, at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday, China's commerce ministry spokesperson Gao Feng (高峰) dodged reporters' questions on whether CRCT had halted its direct freight train service to Lithuania.

Instead, Gao said Lithuania was creating obstacles to business and trade with China, according to the Global Times, a daily newspaper run by the Chinese Communist Party.

On Aug. 10, China publicly took issue with Lithuania's decision to allow the establishment of a Taiwan representative office in Vilnius, saying it was recalling its ambassador to Lithuania, and it called on the European country to withdraw its envoy to Beijing.

Allowing the establishment of an office that would bear the name "Taiwan" is a violation of the "One-China principle," the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, demanding that Lithuania immediately revise the decision.

In response, Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was committed to pursuing mutually beneficial ties with Taiwan, in line with the One-China principle.

China sees Taiwan as part of its territory and objects to any interactions with the international community that may carry implications of Taiwan sovereignty.

(By Chung Yu-chen and Emerson Lim)

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