Taiwan Gains Favor in Europe’s East, Angering China

BERLIN—Nations across Central and Eastern Europe are deepening ties with Taiwan as relations with China cool, leading to confrontation with Beijing.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu is visiting Slovakia and the Czech Republic this week in a move that China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as Chinese territory, warned might lead to retaliation. Lithuania, meanwhile, has angered Beijing by agreeing with Taiwan to open de facto embassies in each other’s capitals. Poland and Slovakia recently donated hundreds of thousands of doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Taiwan.