Taiwan and Lithuania could soon sign an air services agreement to facilitate the provision of code-share as well as regular flights between the two countries, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
The ministry issued the statement at the end of a five-day visit by a Lithuanian delegation led by Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Agne Vaiciukeviciute.
The two countries have exchanged views on air and sea transportation issues, as well as the development of 5G applications, smart transportation systems and electric vehicles, the ministry said.
Photo: CNA
Lithuania expressed the hope that China Airlines Ltd (中華航空) would carefully assess the possibility of launching passenger and cargo flight services between the two countries, the ministry said.
The Baltic country has three international airports. As of June, it ranked No. 2 among European airports in terms of air passenger traffic recovery, data provided by the delegation showed.
“While we are optimistic about the prospects for establishing direct air services between the two countries, we have recommended that both begin by negotiating and signing an air services agreement first,” the ministry said.
“The demand for air traffic will gradually rise with persistent exchanges in trade and technology between Taiwan and Lithuania, which should facilitate the provision of code-share and regular flight services,” it added.
As the Port of Klaipeda, Lithuania’s only seaport, reported a drastic reduction in container throughput due to the Baltic state’s dispute with China over its relations with Taiwan, the delegation expressed the hope that Taiwanese shipping firms would use the port as a hub, help increase container shipment to the port, and invest in its facilities and logistics, it said.
The delegation also indicated that Lithuania would welcome Taiwan’s participation in port expansion plans and training personnel to manage offshore wind energy, it said.
“We have accepted their invitation to visit the Port of Klaipeda, and Taiwan International Windpower Training Corp (台灣風能訓練) will have further exchanges with the Lithuanian port authority on training personnel to manage offshore wind power systems,” the ministry said.
Aside from the transportation ministry, the delegation also visited the Ministry of Economic Affairs, passenger and freight automaker Tangeng Advanced Vehicles Co (TAV, 唐榮車輛科技) and electric bus manufacturer Tron Energy Technology Corp (創奕能源科技), the ministry said, adding that it signed a memorandum of understanding with TAV for potential partnerships.
The visit has sparked protests from Beijing, with Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) yesterday calling it a challenge to the “one China” principle and a “vicious provocation that undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
When Vilnius established relations with Beijing, it had “promised not to establish official relations and conduct official exchanges with Taiwan,” Wang said, accusing it of reneging on this promise.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) told a regular ministry news conference in Taipei that Taiwan and Lithuania are both “independent, sovereign nations that have the freedom to develop relations” with any country they choose.
“Lithuania has sent successive delegations to Taiwan this year. It is quite clear that it is not afraid of China,” she said.
Both countries have emerged from autocracy, and today stand together at the forefront of the defense of democracy, she said, adding that Taipei and Vilnius are working closely together to develop substantive bilateral exchanges.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates its sincere welcome to Lithuania’s establishment of an office in Taiwan,” she said.
Additional reporting by CNA
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique