Taiwan's representation in Vilnius has been opened to develop economic ties, but it will not have a diplomatic status, Lithuania's Foreign Ministry says.
“Our goal is to establish closer relations with the Asian region or the Indian-Pacific Ocean region. Recently, we have opened our embassy in Australia, and we plan to open our embassy in South Korea, probably as early as this year, and to open one in Singapore next year, and also probably a representation in Taipei at some point in the future,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters on Thursday, commenting on the opening of the Taiwanese office.
Read more: Taiwan representation opens in Vilnius
According to the minister, China has been informed about it.
Meanwhile, the minister's spokeswoman Vytautė Šmaižytė-Kuliešienė said in a written comment that “this representation office will not have a diplomatic status”.
No reaction has been received from China yet, Landsbergis said. He added that there had not been any increase in cyber attacks against Lithuania.
The foreign minister says Lithuania is interested in developing closer ties with democratic regions.
“We believe that economic ties with democratic countries are more sustainable [...], they are based more firmly on the principles of the rule of law, therefore are better aligned with Lithuania's interests,” he said.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania officially commences its operation in Vilnius. It will be led by Eric Huang, currently Taiwan's chief of mission in Latvia.
The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania will be in charge of trade ties in Lithuania, including consular affairs.
Lithuania's decision to allow Taipei to open a representative office in Vilnius under the name ‘Taiwan’ has angered Beijing, which views the island as part of China.
Elsewhere in the world, Taiwan's representative offices operate under the name of Taipei, in line with an international consensus that this does not run counter to the One China policy which prevents Taiwan from being treated as an independent country.
Several months ago, China recalled its ambassador from Vilnius and demanded that Lithuania withdraw its envoy to Beijing.
Diana Mickevičienė, the ambassador to China, returned to Vilnius for consultations in early September.
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