Lithuania plans to open a representative office in Taiwan in September, one of its deputy ministers said yesterday, part of a bolstering of ties with the nation that has infuriated China and led to exports falling to almost zero.
Lithuania has come under sustained pressure from China to reverse a decision last year to allow Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in the capital, Vilnius, under its own name.
China has downgraded diplomatic relations with Lithuania and pressured multinationals to sever ties with it, while urging it to correct its “mistakes.”
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Lithuanian Vice Minister of the Economy and Innovation Jovita Neliupsiene said Lithuania hoped its reciprocal office in Taiwan would open “as of September,” adding that she had scouted out some locations during her visit.
A Lithuanian delegation led by Neliupsiene arrived in Taiwan on Sunday on a four-day visit.
Taiwan has stepped up its food imports from Lithuania — most recently rum — to help ease the impact of Chinese curbs on Lithuanian goods such as beer, dairy and beef.
China had been an important export partner, but Lithuania’s exports to China in the first quarter had fallen to “close to zero,” compared with last year, Neliupsiene said.
“Of course, it’s very painful for certain sectors, for certain businesses and certain parts of the economy,” she said.
However, Neliupsiene said the value of direct exports to China last year — 240 million euros (US$250 million) — could be made up in other markets, such as Taiwan or elsewhere in Asia.
“One of the policies this government, our government, pursues is actually the policy of diversification,” she said. “I do believe that finding good, solid, trusted and reliable partners in Taiwan and in other Indo-Pacific countries will be even more beneficial to us than before.”
Lithuania is a member of the EU, which in January launched a challenge at the WTO, accusing China of discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania and arguing that the move threatens the integrity of the bloc’s single market.
Neliupsiene said a business delegation made up of representatives from the Lithuanian biotech and laser sectors would also visit Taiwan in September.
The Lithuanian government is accepting applications for the first head of the Lithuanian trade office in Taiwan, she told a news conference in Taipei as she wrapped up the delegation’s four-day visit.
Additional reporting by CNA
SEEKING CLARITY: Washington should not adopt measures that create uncertainties for ‘existing semiconductor investments,’ TSMC said referring to its US$165 billion in the US Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) told the US that any future tariffs on Taiwanese semiconductors could reduce demand for chips and derail its pledge to increase its investment in Arizona. “New import restrictions could jeopardize current US leadership in the competitive technology industry and create uncertainties for many committed semiconductor capital projects in the US, including TSMC Arizona’s significant investment plan in Phoenix,” the chipmaker wrote in a letter to the US Department of Commerce. TSMC issued the warning in response to a solicitation for comments by the department on a possible tariff on semiconductor imports by US President Donald Trump’s
The government has launched a three-pronged strategy to attract local and international talent, aiming to position Taiwan as a new global hub following Nvidia Corp’s announcement that it has chosen Taipei as the site of its Taiwan headquarters. Nvidia cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Monday last week announced during his keynote speech at the Computex trade show in Taipei that the Nvidia Constellation, the company’s planned Taiwan headquarters, would be located in the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei. Huang’s decision to establish a base in Taiwan is “primarily due to Taiwan’s talent pool and its strength in the semiconductor
Industrial production expanded 22.31 percent annually last month to 107.51, as increases in demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications drove demand for locally-made chips and components. The manufacturing production index climbed 23.68 percent year-on-year to 108.37, marking the 14th consecutive month of increase, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. In the first four months of this year, industrial and manufacturing production indices expanded 14.31 percent and 15.22 percent year-on-year, ministry data showed. The growth momentum is to extend into this month, with the manufacturing production index expected to rise between 11 percent and 15.1 percent annually, Department of Statistics
An earnings report from semiconductor giant and artificial intelligence (AI) bellwether Nvidia Corp takes center stage for Wall Street this week, as stocks hit a speed bump of worries over US federal deficits driving up Treasury yields. US equities pulled back last week after a torrid rally, as investors turned their attention to tax and spending legislation poised to swell the US government’s US$36 trillion in debt. Long-dated US Treasury yields rose amid the fiscal worries, with the 30-year yield topping 5 percent and hitting its highest level since late 2023. Stocks were dealt another blow on Friday when US President Donald
RSS