Lithuanian Vice Minister of the Economy and Innovation Jovita Neliupsiene yesterday arrived in Taiwan with a group of representatives from the Baltic state’s high-tech sector to enhance bilateral trade relations.
It is the first public visit by a Lithuanian official at this level since Taiwan opened its representative office in Vilnius on Nov. 18 last year as part of an agreement to open reciprocal offices signed in July last year.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) greeted the 10-member delegation after they arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at about 6:50am, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Representative to Lithuania Eric Huang (黃鈞耀) returned to Taiwan with the visiting delegation.
Neliupsiene and other delegation members did not make any public statements at the airport.
The delegation consists of representatives of Lithuanian technology companies who are to meet with Taiwanese trade and investment officials during their visit, which ends on Wednesday, the ministry said.
The delegation is to visit companies in Taiwan’s “strategic industries” and discuss possible collaboration on promoting trade and securing supply chains, it said.
It did not specify which officials the delegation would meet, nor did it say whether the visit is related to preparations for a Lithuanian trade office in Taiwan, which has yet to be established.
In March, Lithuanian Minister of the Economy and Innovation Ausrine Armonaite said that preparations for the proposed trade office were under way.
MOFA said at the time that it had received an application from Lithuania to open a representative office in Taiwan, but no updates have been provided since.
Neliupsiene’s trip came after she held talks with Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺) in Vilnius last month.
It was the first vice-ministerial-level economic dialogue between the two countries.
The talks covered the semiconductor, laser and biotech sectors, as well as investment, start-ups and global supply chain resilience.
As Lithuania’s ties with Taiwan have improved, the Baltic state has come under heavy political and economic pressure from Beijing over the naming of Taiwan’s office there — the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania.
Taiwan typically names its overseas representative offices “Taipei Economic and Cultural Office” or “Taipei Representative Office,” in keeping with the host countries’ preference to avoid any references that would imply Taiwan is a separate country from China.
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