Taipei, July 13 (CNA) Taiwan's representative office in the Kingdom of Bahrain is working normally, despite recently having been forced to change in its name, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reiterated Thursday.
Nothing has changed apart from the name change, ministry spokeswoman Eleanor Wang said at a routine news conference, adding that the office is still aimed at helping Taiwanese businesses expand in Bahrain and promoting bilateral economic and trade relations.
Wang made the remarks after the ministry gave an assurance the previous day that the office was operating as usual.
The ministry a day earlier expressed regret that the Bahraini authorities caved 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 name from "Trade Mission of Taiwan to the Kingdom of Bahrain" to "Trade Office of Taipei to the Kingdom of Bahrain" on its official website.
The Jordanian authorities have also been under pressure from Beijing to change the name of the Commercial Office of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Amman, Jordan. However, there has so far been no change in the name, according to Wang.
Although Taiwan has good relations with countries in the Middle East, these countries have encountered pressure form China and might have to give their own benefits and interests some consideration, Wang said, adding that the country's representative offices, however, will strive to surmount any difficulties for the sake of the national interest.
