Agnė Vaiciukevičiūtė, Lithuanian Minister of State for Transport and Communications, led a delegation to visit Taiwan to deepen bilateral exchanges and cooperation. The CCP announced on the evening of the 12th that it would impose sanctions on Aigne and will suspend cooperation with the Lithuanian transport department. Wu Zhaoxie, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China, was interviewed by “Voice of America” on the 12th. Wu Zhaoxie elaborated on issues such as Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and the CCP’s military exercises. “, he welcomes people from all over the world to visit and express their support for Taiwan.
Deputy Minister Aigne led a total of 11 officials and representatives of electric bus companies to Taiwan on August 7 for a five-day visit. Aigne said on Twitter on the 12th that she visited 3 cities and 2 seaports in Taiwan in 5 days, and held 14 meetings in Taiwan. “Have a fruitful week in Taiwan, looking for more ways to work with Taiwan’s maritime, shipping and airlines,” she tweeted.
According to Taiwan media reports, Agnie and his party visited the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Kaohsiung City, Taichung City and other units and regions successively to discuss the possibility of cooperation with Taiwan in direct flights, green transportation, port development and shipping. . Aigne said she is looking forward to Kaohsiung becoming a sister city with the Lithuanian port city of Klaipėda. The Port of Klaipeda is one of the Baltic ports with the highest annual handling volume.
The official website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Agnie’s visit to Taiwan “trample the one-China principle, seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs, and damaged China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and was a “bad provocation.” The statement said that Beijing has decided to impose sanctions on Aigne and suspend any form of exchanges with the Lithuanian Ministry of Transport and Communications, as well as exchanges and cooperation with Lithuania in the field of international road transport.
“Virtue is not alone, there must be neighbors”, the small Baltic Lithuania supports Taiwan at the forefront of the fight against the CCP
Lithuania announced its withdrawal from the 17+1 cooperation mechanism between the CCP and the Central and Eastern European countries in May last year, and set up a representative office in the name of Taiwan in the capital Vilnius in November last year, and plans to open an economic and trade office in Taipei in September this year. office. Lithuania’s strengthening of ties with Taiwan has angered Beijing, and Lifang has been under constant pressure from Beijing. Beijing has downgraded diplomatic relations with Lithuania and forced multinational companies to sever ties with it.
Latvia and Estonia in the Baltic Sea followed in the footsteps of Lithuania and announced their withdrawal from the 17+1 cooperation group mechanism between the CCP and Central and Eastern European countries on August 11.
A few days before Agnie led a delegation to visit Taiwan on the 7th, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Nancy Pelosi) made a historic visit to Taiwan on the 3rd, and then the Communist Army launched a large-scale deployment around Taiwan from the 4th to the 7th. Large-scale military exercises, sanctions against Pelosi, and trade restrictions on Taiwan.
While Aigne led a delegation to visit Taiwan, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (a country in Latin America) also personally led a delegation to visit Taiwan on August 8, showing his firmness towards Taiwan support.
Dozens of European and Canadian parliamentarians from The Formosa Club issued a joint statement on the 8th, emphasizing that they will continue to firmly support Taiwan through regular visits, dialogue or cooperation in the future.
Wu Zhaoxie: The people of Taiwan will never accept the so-called “one country, two systems”. People from all over the world are welcome to express their support
On August 12, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie received an interview with William Gallo, director of the Seoul branch of the Voice of America (VOA), and explained in depth Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the CCP’s military exercises, and the expansion of the CCP’s authoritarian power.
Wu Zhaoxie emphasized that “China (the CCP) cannot stop us from doing what is right” and that “the Chinese (CCP) authoritarian expansion is threatening changes in the status quo.”
Wu Zhaoxie said that although Beijing announced the end of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, military activities in the surrounding areas continued. On the 11th, 11 common planes flew over the center line of the strait, which was full of provocation. An act to change the status quo.
Wu Zhaoxie pointed out that for decades, the central line of the strait has been an important symbol of maintaining the status quo on both sides of the strait, maintaining the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. Taking military action to disrupt the status quo deserves the attention and joint efforts of all walks of life to maintain the status quo and peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.
Wu Zhaoxie stressed that Taiwan’s foreign policy will not be changed by Beijing’s military threats. Whether or not Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, Beijing will find all kinds of excuses to threaten Taiwan. Beijing’s threats of military planes, warships, missiles, cyber attacks and disinformation violate the UN Charter’s purpose of resolving disputes by peaceful means, and also impact the rules-based international order. Similar-minded countries such as the “Big Seven” (G7) have issued a statement asking Beijing to stop its military threats. Friends from various countries will continue to organize delegations to visit, and Taiwan also welcomes people from all countries to express their support.
Regarding the “white paper on Taiwan policy” or “re-education of the people of Taiwan after reunification” recently released by Beijing, Minister Wu Zhaoxie said that Hong Kong is not far away, and the people of Taiwan will never accept the so-called “one country, two systems”. They also scoffed at Taiwan’s claims or claims.
Wu Zhaoxie further pointed out that freedom and democracy are the way of life of the Taiwanese people, and the CCP will never allow it to change. As a responsible member of the region, Taiwan will remain calm and confident, and will face the CCP with a firm but not provocative attitude.
Minister Wu Zhaoxie also pointed out that the CCP’s ambitions are not limited to Taiwan. From the East China Sea to the South China Sea, Beijing is strengthening its actions. In recent years, the CCP’s naval and air force exercises have also crossed the first island chain and headed for the Pacific region. In addition, the CCP is expanding its influence in the Indian Ocean, Africa and Latin America. Therefore, Minister Wu Zhaoxie called on the democratic camp to unite and jointly prevent the external expansion of authoritarianism.