Taipei, July 12 (CNA) The operation of Taiwan's representative office in the Kingdom of Bahrain remains normal in spite of the recent forced change in its name, a result of increasing efforts on the part of China to minimize Taiwan's international space, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
Expressing its regret that the Bahraini authorities gave in to pressure from Beijing and forced Taiwan to rename its representative office in the Middle East country, the ministry said it recently changed the "Trade Mission of Taiwan to the Kingdom of Bahrain" to "Trade Office of Taipei to the Kingdom of Bahrain" on its official web site.
The use of the name "Trade Mission of Taiwan in the Kingdom of Bahrain" was officially approved by the Bahraini government in 2004, MOFA noted, adding that the office has made an important contribution in promoting substantive bilateral ties.
Despite being forced to change its name, the office will continue to promote exchanges and cooperation between the two countries taking into account that Bahrain is an important regional financial center and one of main suppliers of fossil fuel and primary aluminum to Taiwan, MOFA said.
