Last month, a delegation of Taiwanese politicians and businesspeople visited Lithuania. But Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu was not among them. It has prompted speculation that Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry did not invite Wu to join the delegation. Does it mean that Lithuania is retreating in its stand-off with China?
While in Lithuania, Taiwan's Minister of National Development Kung Ming-hsi said that the island planned to open its economic representation in Vilnius by the end of the year, despite China's objections.
Read more: US backs Lithuania’s Taiwan policy, Nausėda says after meeting Biden
Meanwhile, Lithuanian Economy Minister Aušrinė Armonaitė said that Lithuania should open its representation in Taiwan at the beginning of 2022.
But there have been questions about the absence of Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu, who was among the delegation during its visits to the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
This has fuelled speculation that the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry may have abandoned its plan to invite Wu to Vilnius, fearing escalation of tensions with China.
Read more: Taiwan delegation visiting Lithuania amid Beijing-Vilnius tensions
Relations between Lithuania and China turned sour after Lithuania allowed Taipei to open a representation in Vilnius using the name ‘Taiwan’, a move that Beijing sees as an attempt to recognise the self-ruled island as an independent country.
On August 10, China’s Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and told Vilnius to follow suit.
Under control
According to Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, there are no doubts about opening a Taiwanese representation in Lithuania.
“Discussions are ongoing. We will announce a more concrete opening date when we are ready to do so,” Landsbergis told LRT Radio.
But according to political analyst Marius Laurinavičius, “since the beginning of the year, when the decision was made to develop relationships with Taiwan, little has been done, except for the strategic move of announcing the opening of the Taiwanese representation”.
Lithuania’s decision to replace, in Laurinavičius' words, “unsustainable” relations with China with “sustainable” ones with Taiwan is welcome. But Lithuania is also slow in establishing a new relationship with Taiwan. This could lead to Lithuania ceding its competitive edge to the Czech Republic or Slovakia, according to him.
Read more: Politico: Lithuania dragged EU into its showdown with China
Meanwhile, China’s reaction to Lithuania’s decision to start diplomatic relations with Taiwan was “predictable”, said Vida Mačikėnaitė-Ambutavičienė, an associate professor at Kaunas Technology University.
“The 1991 bilateral agreement with Beijing recognised that Lithuania respects China’s sovereignty and Taiwan as part of that country,” she said. “The decision to open a Taiwanese representation is a huge turning point.”
According to Mačikėnaitė-Ambutavičienė, there is a lack of consistency in Lithuanian officials’ rhetoric regarding the question of Taiwan.
“In some interviews, they say that Lithuania has a right to maintain relations with Taiwan and other democracies, meaning that Taiwan is treated as a sovereign state,” she said. “In other places, they claim that we still adhere to the One China principle.”
“It has become clear that the situation has become complicated because of China’s sensitive reaction. Perhaps, [Lithuania] has really started considering the consequences,” the professor added.
According to her, this means that Lithuania could be rethinking its strategy vis-à-vis Taiwan and China.
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