The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was agreed by both sides, after Lithuania’s prime minister described a 2021 decision to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake.”
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who entered office in September last year, told the Baltic News Service on Tuesday that Lithuania had begun taking “small first steps” aimed at restoring ties with Beijing.
The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy.
Since the establishment of the office, Taiwan and Lithuania have continued working together to promote substantive cooperation in fields such as lasers, semiconductors and finance, strengthening democratic economic resilience, it said.
Taiwan would continue to maintain close communication with Lithuania to jointly deepen bilateral relations, it added.
China yesterday said that it was open to dialogue with Vilnius.
“We hope Lithuania will translate its willingness to improve bilateral relations into concrete actions, promptly rectify its error, return to the correct path of adhering to the ‘one China’ principle and lay the groundwork for normalizing China-Lithuania relations,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian (林劍) said.
“The door for communication between China and Lithuania remains open,” Lin told a regular news conference.
In late 2021, China downgraded relations with Lithuania after Taiwan opened the office.
In contrast to Lithuania, countries such as the UK, the US and Australia host offices that are usually known as “Taipei” representative offices, which avoids the implication of statehood and sovereignty.
Since the breakdown in relations with Beijing, Lithuania has recalled its ambassador in China and other diplomats.
In late 2024, Lithuania expelled three Chinese diplomats stationed in China’s Office of the Charge d’Affaires, declaring them personae non gratae.
Last year, China banned Lithuanian banks UAB Urbo Bankas and AB Mano Bankas from carrying out transactions, and cooperation with organizations and individuals within China.
“I think Lithuania really jumped in front of a train and lost,” Ruginiene said.
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