Lithuania plans to open a representative office in Taiwan, and leave a Beijing-led alliance with central and eastern European nations, Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT) quoted a lawmaker as saying on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it welcomes countries willing to establish friendly relations with Taiwan, but added that it has no additional information on the matter.
The Lithunian Committee on Foreign Affairs last month agreed that the Baltic nation should leave China’s 17+1 initiative to bolster cooperation between Beijing and 17 European nations, the LRT report said.
Photo: Screen grab from Facebook
“China has aims to take over strategic infrastructure in various countries... Why should we embroil ourselves in these risks?” Lithuanian Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman and former diplomat Zygimantas Pavilionis was quoted as saying in the report.
Estonia, Latvia and several other east European nations are thinking of taking similar steps, he said, adding that Lithuania plans to expand relations with Taiwan by opening an economic office in the country.
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis told LRT that the cooperation program with Beijing has brought Lithuania “almost no benefits.”
“The 17+1 initiative ... is not useful for Europe; it is dividing Europe, because countries have different opinions on China,” he said.
“I am not saying that we are leaving [the alliance] and that it is the end, but we should consider what is a useful way of building a relationship with China,” he added.
Lithuania is not alone in its reluctance to continue working with China, as evidenced by the Chinese and Central and Eastern European virtual summit held on Feb. 9, during which the three Baltic states, along with Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia, sent ministers instead of their head of state or government.
In April last year, 50 Lithuanian members of parliament, along with more than 200 political and intellectual figures, wrote a joint letter to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda expressing their support for Taiwan to join international organizations and to establish an office in Taiwan.
The move is in line with the promise made by Lithuania’s coalition government in November last year that it would “actively oppose any violation of human rights and democratic freedoms, and will defend those fighting for freedom around the world, from Belarus to Taiwan.”
In Taipei, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) yesterday said that Taiwan is open to making friends with nations around the world and welcomes any move that would deepen Taiwan-Lithuania relations.
However, the ministry has no further information regarding Lithuania’s reported plan to establish a representative office in Taiwan, she said.
As for the Baltic nation’s plan to leave the 17+1 platform, the ministry has no comment, she said.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS