Taiwan has decided to purchase a shipment of Lithuanian rum to prevent it from being potentially blocked by Chinese customs amid Beijing's growing economic sanctions on the Baltic state, reported local media.
About 20,400 bottles of dark rum produced by MV Group Production are now being re-routed to Taiwan, the state-owned liquor company Tobacco and Liquor Corp. (TTL) said in a statement on Monday.
Later this month, the shipment is expected to arrive. After arrival, liquor initially destined for China will be re-labelled and sold in the local market, said the company.
A batch of Lithuanian rum scheduled to arrive in China on December 29 could face potential hurdles with customs there, notified the Ministry of Finance and Eric Huang, head of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania.
According to TTL, the Lithuanian shipments are facing issues in China, as Beijing reportedly removed the name of the Baltic nation from the system of the country's customs department, meaning there is no country that bears the name Lithuania.
TTL said the decision to purchase the Lithuanian rum was to show support for the Baltic nation, which has faced increasing political and economic pressure from Beijing to punish the Baltic nation for allowing Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in November using the name "Taiwanese," according to Focus Taiwan.
( With inputs from ANI )
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