Taiwan pledges to invest in Lithuania amid Chinese pressure

By LIUDAS DAPKUS
Associated Press

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Taiwan says it’s creating an investment fund and planning other measures to help Lithuania as it faces major economic pressure from China for allowing the island to open a representative office in the European Union country. Taiwanese officials said Wednesday that the $200 million fund would help key Lithuanian industries. Lithuania broke with diplomatic custom by agreeing that the Taiwanese office in its capital would bear the name Taiwan instead of Chinese Taipei, a term used by other countries to avoid offending Beijing. China has called it “false news” that Beijing has blocked Lithuanian imports or pressured multinational companies that do business with the EU country.