Lithuania President Rebukes Government Over China Trade Spat

(Bloomberg) — Lithuania’s president said the government’s decision to allow Taiwan to open a representative office using the island’s name was a mistake, wading into a controversy that’s upended the Baltic nation’s relationship with China.

The criticism by the head of state, Gitanas Nauseda, opens a rift in the country’s leadership after tensions between China and Lithuania triggered a high-level trade dispute between Beijing and the European Union. Taiwan opened the office in the capital, Vilnius, in November under the name of Taiwan, a move viewed by the Chinese government as a violation of its one-China principle.