Taiwan’s decision to buy more than 20,000 bottles of Lithuanian rum destined for neighboring China had a diplomatic “scent”.
The island nation, officially called the Republic of China, has a questionable political status, as it claims to be independent and sovereign, but China disagrees and considers it one of its 23 administrative provinces.
In fact, Beijing has cut off all diplomatic relations with all countries that officially recognize Taiwan as an autonomous state.
Somewhere here… comes Rumi and Lithuania, which recently opened a de facto embassy in Taiwan, in a move to recognize its independence.
This provoked the month of Beijing, which threatened to suspend economic relations with the European country.
For this reason, the order of 20,000 bottles of rum, which was to be imported to China, was in danger of being “blocked” at the border, as was done days ago with previous orders for beer. In fact, China had informed Vilnius about it.
As a token of gratitude, however, Taiwan rushed to buy the shipment of rum in question, pay the normal price and save the Lithuanian company from a long and costly adventure.
The purchase was made by Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp (TTL), which -among others- shared with local recipes for cocktails and food.
China, meanwhile, has denied imposing trade restrictions on Lithuania – in violation of international trade rules. However, Brussels confirmed that various Lithuanian lots were “stuck” in Chinese customs.
It is worth noting that Beijing is accustomed to impartial trade sanctions against states with which it has political disputes, as is the case with Australia.
moneyreview
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