The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday condemned China for bullying Lithuania and called for solidarity among democratic countries after Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda’s remarks about Taiwan’s mission in Vilnius triggered new tensions.
The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania opened on Nov. 18 last year. Despite the lack of formal ties with the Baltic country, the ministry hailed the establishment as a breakthrough in Taiwan’s relations with Vilnius, as well as Europe.
“I think it was not the opening of the Taiwanese office that was a mistake, but the name, which was not coordinated with me,” Lithuanian Radio and Television quoted Nauseda as telling broadcaster Ziniu Radijas in an interview on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
While the ministry cannot comment on another country’s internal affairs as per diplomatic routines, it does not alter its resolve to firmly support Lithuania when its private businesses, people and national development are affected by China’s suppression, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement on Tuesday night.
The ministry strongly condemns China for using “despicable” means to exert political and economic pressure on Lithuania, she said, adding that the ministry is convinced that the solidarity of democratic countries would triumph over the bullying of an authoritarian regime.
The ministry reiterated its call on like-minded countries that cherish democracy, free trade and market economy to back Vilnius, so it would not succumb to Beijing’s pressure, Ou said.
Lithuanian Member of the European Parliament Ausra Maldeikiene blasted Nauseda’s comments, writing on Twitter: “Our pathetic President @GitanasNauseda suggested that Lithuania should bow down to the Chinese Communist Party after they called us dogs. WTF, dude?”
Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen also expressed her disagreement with Nauseda.
“I don’t think it was a mistake,” the legislative speaker told ELTA news agency, adding that the president is criticizing the decision only after China pressured Lithuania.
In Taipei, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that despite the pressure, Lithuania has won support and respect from the international community, referring to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call with the foreign ministers of the Bucharest Nine countries on Monday.
Taiwan-Lithuanian relations are built on shared values and mutually beneficial exchanges in a growing number of areas, Wang said in a video on Facebook.
The Bucharest group comprises countries on NATO’s eastern border — Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.
During the call, the foreign ministers “highlighted their solidarity with Lithuania in the face of escalating political pressure and economic coercion by the People’s Republic of China,” the US Department of State said in a statement.
Boosting practical relations with Lithuania is positive, but the DPP administration should not have hyped it as a major diplomatic breakthrough, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Charles Chen (陳以信) told the Taipei Times by telephone.
Now that the Lithuanian president is calling on his country to reflect on its ties with Taiwan, MOFA should keep a lower profile and avoid commenting on other countries’ internal affairs, he said, adding that the ministry’s comments on Nicaragua have apparently backfired.
Chen added that the ministry should prevent Lithuania from becoming another Guyana, which in February last year withdrew from a deal to host a Taiwan office less than one day after its announcement.
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