Lithuania’s relations with China and Taiwan have been brought into focus after the Baltic state concluded its parliamentary election on October 27. Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) expressed that the government does not oppose Lithuania restoring relations with China, stating that Vilnius-Beijing-Taipei relations are not a zero-sum game.
Additional concerns have been raised regarding whether or not the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania might be changed after Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas was quoted in a media report on October 31, saying that the decision to name the office as such was a grave diplomatic mistake.
Lin said that the representative office name was a consensus and decision reached by the two governments at the time, therefore they will work hard to maintain it, and any changes will be made bilaterally. Lin added that the Taiwanese government is not opposed to Lithuania’s normalization of relations with China, and that doing so does not conflict with Lithuania’s relations with Taiwan.
However, Lin noted that Paluckas’ statement characterizing the naming decision as a grave diplomatic mistake was a warning sign. He added that Taiwan should reinforce the fact that trilateral relations can be a win-win for the country rather than a zero-sum game.
Lin emphasized that the Taiwanese government will work on strengthening and solidifying Taiwan-Lithuania relations while also monitoring the country’s status as it resumes diplomatic relations with China.