Although Lithuania is restoring diplomatic links with China, it would not change the name of Taiwan’s representative office in the nation, a Lithuanian lawmaker was quoted as saying.
In late 2021, Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius under the name “Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania,” leading to China recalling its ambassador, expelling the Lithuanian ambassador to Beijing, and restricting the nation’s access to the Chinese market.
Since taking office, Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has expressed interest in restoring diplomatic talks with China, although the name of the office remains a topic of debate.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Paluckas said that Lithuania would not sacrifice its relationship with Taiwan to resume ties with China, nor would the country issue an apology or make concessions, Lithuanian-language news Web site Delfi said.
Asked why China would be willing to resume bilateral relations without concessions, Paluckas said that normal countries maintain relations with each other, and that Lithuania could play a role in China’s larger interests in Europe.
Remigijus Motuzas, chair of the Lithuanian parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, confirmed to the outlet that China signaled a willingness to normalize diplomatic ties just days before a WTO ruling on China’s trade sanctions against Lithuania.
China’s message reportedly made clear that Lithuania must abide by the so-called “one China” principle, which Motuzas said Lithuania has not contravened, as the office is focused on trade and economic exchanges, and is not a diplomatic agency.
Lithuania rebuffed Taipei’s attempts to sign an intergovernmental agreement, as Vilnius does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country, although it would continue to cooperate on trade and economic matters, Motuzas said.
Some European countries might seek to strengthen exchanges with China in the face of US tariffs, he said.
Lithuania and China held talks about one month ago, in which both sides put forward their conditions and are awaiting a response, he added.
Talks are focused only on restoring ambassador-level diplomatic relations, and Lithuania has no intention of changing the name of the Taiwan representative office, nor of making any concessions, he said.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
RSS