A visiting Lithuanian parliamentary group demonstrates the country’s support for Taiwan and its determination to protect democratic values, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Lithuanian Member of Parliament Matas Maldeikis, head of a Lithuania-Taiwan friendship group, is leading an 11-member cross-party delegation to Taiwan until Saturday.
Tsai welcomed the delegation at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei yesterday, thanking Lithuania’s Seimas and government for supporting Taiwan’s international participation in recent years and calling on the world to pay attention to the situation in the Taiwan Strait.
Photo: CNA
Taipei and Vilnius have fostered closer ties in agriculture and healthcare, and bolstered economic and trade relations through the Central and Eastern Europe Investment Fund, she said.
With shared values of democracy, freedom and human rights, Taiwan and Lithuania would continue bolstering democratic and economic resilience and contributing to global prosperity and development, she said.
Maldeikis commended Tsai’s “unwavering dedication to the Taiwanese people, visionary approach to international relationships and strong voice for democracy worldwide,” saying she set new standards for politicians worldwide.
Tsai saw the immense potential for cooperation between Taiwan and Lithuania and took concrete steps to establish close ties through a variety of projects, especially in semiconductors, Maldeikis said.
Taiwan lent a helping hand to Lithuania when China introduced retaliatory sanctions on the European country, which demonstrated the will to do the right thing and “further strengthened the bonds” between the two sides, he said.
Lithuania faced political and economic pressure from Beijing after it allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius in October 2021, with “Taiwanese” in the office’s official name rather than “Taipei.”
Lithuania and Taiwan showed the world that partnerships are built on shared beliefs instead of geographic proximity, he said.
Earlier yesterday, the delegation met with Vice President William Lai (賴清德), who thanked the lawmakers for showing support for Taiwan by being the first European delegation to visit the nation since its presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13.
The president-elect vowed to continue maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait and peace and stability in the region after taking office, adding that he would seek dialogue with China on the premise of reciprocity and dignity.
Based on successful collaboration in the semiconductor industry, Lai vowed to continue to deepen and expand cooperation with Lithuania, including in economic affairs, trade, education and culture, as well as people-to-people ties.
Taiwan, Lithuania and other like-minded countries should join together to defend democratic values and human rights in the face of the threats posed by authoritarian expansionism, he said.
Lithuania would continue to side with Taiwan as strong partnerships among democracies are more important than ever, Maldeikis told Lai.
Authoritarian regimes are growing stronger and more aggressive, as they fear being questioned over the legitimacy of their rule and possibly losing power, he said.
Democracy or authoritarianism is a result of the mind of a people, he said, adding that the free-thinking Taiwanese have made Taiwan what it is today — a model for the world.
Maldeikis said that businesses in Lithuania, the EU and Taiwan would continue to work closely in economic affairs, culture and technology to come up with innovative solutions to global challenges.
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