TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) on Saturday (Aug. 13) has slammed China for placing sanctions on the Lithuania Deputy Transportation and Communications Minister, Agne Vaiciukeviciute.

In a tweet, IPAC said it “expresses solidarity” with Vaiciukeviciute and labeled the sanctions as “wholly unjustified.” “Countries must be free to determine their own relations with Taiwan, free from PRC intimidation,” it added.

China's foreign ministry imposed the sanctions in retaliation for the minister’s trip to Taiwan. "The visit tramples on the one-China principle, seriously interferes in China’s internal affairs, and undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said in a statement on Friday (Aug. 12).

The foreign ministry added that China would end all exchanges with her ministry and suspend transportation cooperation with Lithuania.

Vaiciukeviciute led a delegation of 11 government officials and electric bus business representatives to Taiwan from Aug. 7-11 in order to strengthen bilateral exchanges in the areas of smart and green transportation, 5G communications, and electric buses.

The Lithuanian Ministry of Transport and Communications said it regretted China's announcement. "Beijing is choosing to continue and intensify the course of illegal actions against (an) EU member state," Reuters quoted the ministry as saying.

IPAC is an international group consisting of cross-party legislators dedicated to rethinking how democratic countries interact with China, according to its website. The group was founded on June 4, 2020.