A shipment of Lithuanian dark rum that China refused to allow into the country has now arrived in Taiwan instead.
China has imposed an effective ban on all imports of Lithuanian products in recent weeks. That’s because Lithuania agreed to let Taiwan open a representative office in its capital with the name “The Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania”.
Most countries hosting Taiwanese representative offices insist that they do not refer to Taiwan in their name out of deference to China’s claim to be the only legitimate representative of Taiwan. Lithuania’s decision not to do so has seen China retaliate with diplomatic as well as economic means.
After learning that the 20,400 bottles of Lithuanian rum had been blocked from entering China, the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation decided to buy up the entire shipment. The shipment was redirected from a Chinese port to the Port of Keelung in northern Taiwan, where it arrived late on Tuesday.
Though not yet even through customs, many of the bottles of rum have already found interested buyers. Taipei’s Grand Hotel alone has expressed interest in purchasing 700 bottles. The bottles of rum are set to be released onto the market en masse after February 15.
The Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation says it will consider importing other products from the rum’s Lithuanian producer, MV Group Production, if the Taiwanese public responds well to the rum.