The government does not oppose the incoming Lithuanian government restoring relations with China, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday, adding that Taipei-Vilnius-Beijing relations are not a “zero-sum game.”
Lin made the comments during a legislative session when asked about remarks from incoming Lithuanian prime minister Gintautas Paluckas, who said he wished to restore full diplomatic relations with China.
The rift between Lithuania and China began in 2021, following the inclusion of “Taiwanese” in the name of Taiwan’s representative office in Vilnius.
Photo: Reuters
In response, Beijing downgraded diplomatic ties with Vilnius and imposed trade restrictions.
Asked for a comment on whether the office name would be changed by the incoming Lithuanian government, Lin told Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Jen (黃仁) that the name of the office has been agreed upon by both governments.
Bilateral discussions would be needed if either side wishes to amend the decision, he said.
“We do not oppose Lithuania’s desire to normalize relations with China, but doing so does not mean the Baltic state cannot maintain its relationship with Taiwan,” Lin said.
Taiwan-China-Lithuania trilateral relations are not a zero-sum game, he said, adding that Lithuania, as a sovereign state, can choose to engage with Taiwan and China as it wishes.
An English-language Lithuanian National Radio and Television report on Thursday last week quoted Paluckas as saying that the name of the representative office had been a “grave diplomatic mistake.”
However, Paluckas refrained from saying whether he would ask Taipei to change the name if Beijing demanded it.
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