On the diplomatic frontline, China appears to have launched an undeclared cold war—one that it seems confident of winning
The evacuation was not undertaken lightly. The shuttering of the embassy, which Lithuania insists is not closed for good, is the worst crisis in relations between China and a European state since 1981. That year the Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands was recalled in response to the sale of Dutch submarines to Taiwan. Sino-Dutch ties remained downgraded for three years. Lithuania has been without an ambassador in Beijing since September, after China asked its envoy to leave.
But the Baltic republic points to its long history of standing up to bullying foreigners, including Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. In 2019 Lithuania denounced China’s embassy there for rallying people to disrupt a protest in support of Hong Kong’s democrats . In 2021 Lithuania announced its withdrawal from the “17 plus one”, a Chinese-led grouping of former communist countries in central and eastern Europe, calling it divisive.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Former Harvard chemistry chair to stand trial for allegedly hiding ties to ChinaNanotechnologist Dr. Charles Lieber, the former chair of Harvard’s Chemistry Department, will stand trial in Boston beginning Tuesday for allegedly concealing his ties to the Chinese government. GBH
Read more »
Mainland China reports its first omicron Covid caseThe omicron case was found in a traveler from overseas, who showed no symptoms but tested positive on Thursday, according to Tianjin's local health commission.
Read more »
U.S. blacklist puts China AI into local modeArtificial intelligence startup SenseTime is delaying its $800 mln Hong Kong IPO after the mid-deal shock of Washington’s investment ban. Foreign backers can be mostly replaced by mainland money. But the boycott ends the sector’s global ambitions and accelerates tech decoupling.
Read more »
China targeted Taipei's allies while U.S. hosted democracy summit- Taiwan foreign ministerNicaragua's decision last week to cut ties with Taiwan was part of a deliberate move by China to target the island's diplomatic allies after it was excluded from a democracy summit hosted by Washington, Taiwan's foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Read more »
Blinken touts deeper U.S. engagement amid concern over 'aggressive' ChinaSecretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday touted a U.S. strategy to deepen its Asian treaty alliances, offering to boost defence and intelligence work with partners in an Indo-Pacific region increasingly concerned over China's 'aggressive actions'.
Read more »
Banks and asset managers expect operating in China, Hong Kong to get harderFinancial institutions think business conditions in Hong Kong and mainland China will deteriorate in the coming years, although they plan to keep investing in both markets, a survey by an industry association found.
Read more »