The Lithuanian parliament has approved laws to enable the establishment of trade offices in Taiwan and elsewhere, a government official said yesterday.
“Green light for Lithuanian #trade offices around the world! Today the #LT parliament has approved the laws that will enable the establishment of Lithuanian trade offices were [sic] we don’t have our diplomatic representation, including #Taiwan,” Lithuanian Minister of the Economy and Innovation Ausrine Armonaite wrote on Twitter.
For Lithuania, there are many unexplored opportunities in East and Southeast Asia, Armonaite said, adding that it is committed to developing trade and investment ties with Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea and other countries in the region.
The new laws would allow Lithuania to develop closer economic ties with advanced economies, while boosting cooperation in high technology and innovation, she said.
The Lithuanian government earlier this year said it planned to establish a trade office in Taiwan, which is expected to open by the end of the year.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the news.
The two countries would continue to deepen relations based on their shared values of protecting democracy, freedom and human rights, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.
A delegation of Lithuanian lawmakers is to visit Taiwan in December.
Lithuanian Member of Parliament Matas Maldeikis, chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Relations with Taiwan, on Thursday replied to an invitation by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, saying he and other lawmakers would visit Taiwan in the first half of December.
The establishment of a Lithuanian trade office in Taipei is just the first step in Vilnius’ plan to boost relations with Taiwan, and it would greatly help both countries’ political and economic development, Maldeikis said.
DPP Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉), chairman of the Legislative Yuan’s friendship association with Baltic countries, invited the lawmakers.
Taiwan and Lithuania share common values in democracy and freedom against authoritarianism, Chiu said.
Hopefully, Taiwanese lawmakers would form a delegation to visit Lithuania after the pandemic subsides, he said.
Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan
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