Taiwan opens Lithuania office while China condemns ‘bad’ move | Political Issues

Taiwan has opened a de facto ambassador to Lithuania on an independent democratic island while China, which has described the migration as “bad”, claims to be part of it.

Taipei announced Thursday that it had opened an office in the Baltic state – the first in Europe in 18 years – against a coercive campaign from Beijing.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan said the opening of the “Taiwanese embassy in Lithuania” would “establish a new and more reliable way of communication,” recognizing the great potential for cooperation, especially in technology.

“Taiwan will be proud to promote this new relationship based on our values,” the ministry said.

In August, China he asked Lithuania has removed its ambassador to Beijing and said it will recall the Chinese ambassador to Vilnius Taiwan after announcing the name of the office. Its offices around the world are called Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices, while China is angry with the use of the term Taiwan for fear it could make the island more legitimate.

China reacted angrily to Thursday’s opening and threatened unintended consequences.

“The Lithuanian government, in defiance of China’s strong opposition and repeated refusal, has approved the establishment of the so-called ‘Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania,'” Beijing said in a statement.

“The Chinese government strongly condemns this heinous act. The Lithuanian side will be responsible for all consequences.”

China has increased the volume stress other countries to limit cooperation with Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen was first elected in 2016, and only 15 countries have relations with the island.

Beijing was also angered by Lithuania’s idea of ​​opening its embassy in Taiwan, although a date has not been announced.

Many other countries have embassies in Taipei, including several Lithuanian countries that are members of the European Union, Britain, Australia and the United States.

The new Taiwan office will be headed by Eric Huang, who is currently the mission director in neighboring Taipei in Latvia.

“We are very happy to have the opportunity to be a leader and to strengthen relations between Taiwan and Lithuania,” Huang told Agence France-Presse.

Commenting on the importance of using the Taiwanese name, he said it was “very important”.

“We will not focus too much on geopolitical culture. As a representative office of my country, my main focus is on fostering genuine relations.”

The opening of the Vilnius office is a sign that although Lithuania wants to have closer ties with Taiwan, it does not mean that it is deviating from the European Union policy in China.

The use of Taiwan on behalf of Taipei in the name of the embassy, ​​”shows that the purpose of both parties is to demonstrate the completeness of the two countries’ integration, including, economics, research and development, culture, politics, possible and impossible. or show that they have left Lithuania to follow a single EU policy on China, “Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, a postdoctoral researcher in Taiwan and a former political adviser to the European Parliament, told Al Jazeera. “Vilnius wants to participate in China in the 27 + 1 category, and develop ties with Taiwan immediately.”

Lithuania is one of the few Baltic countries and in central Europe that has shown readiness to seek closer ties with Taiwan – even if it offends China.

Politicians in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have also pushed for closer ties with Taiwan.

In 2019, Prague canceled a sister city alliance with Beijing and signed a joint venture with Taipei, while a notable visit to Taiwan last year was the head of the Czech senate. Milos Vystrcil angered China.

Last month, a delegation of Taiwanese officials visited Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, which sparked outrage in Beijing, while seven delegates from the European Parliament voted. old trip in Taiwan.

In May, Lithuania announced it was abandoning China’s 17 + 1 summit with countries in central and eastern Europe, calling it a “split”.

“We believe that the economic relations established by democracies are stable and lasting, based on the rule of law, and therefore very much in line with Lithuanian interests,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters. Thursday.

It is a report by Erin Hale in Taipei