Taiwan Buys 20,400 Bottles of Rum Rejected by China
A state-owned Taiwanese company has purchased more than 20,000 bottles of Lithuanian rum originally bound for China.
Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor (TTL) has made a large purchase of more than 20,000 bottles of dark rum after China was reportedly about to refuse the Lithuanian shipment entry amid diplomatic tensions.
The rum was produced by MV Group Productions, one of the largest producers of Lithuanian alcoholic beverages.
“TTL stood up at the right time, purchased the rum and brought it to Taiwan,” TTL said in a statement reported by the South China Morning Post newspaper. “Lithuania supports us and we support Lithuania – TTL calls for a toast to that.”
Taiwan’s National Development Council also revealed a number of rum-based recipes on its Facebook page, including Dark 'n' Stormy cocktail, rum-infused French toast, steak and hot chocolate, asking locals to buy the product at the end of January, when the shipment would be on sale.
Lithuania, a small Baltic country of 2.8 million, is in an ongoing diplomatic dispute with China and has been hit with economic sanctions and other restrictions.