Lithuania has no intention of meeting China’s conditions related to the Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius, President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief foreign policy adviser said Tuesday, signalling continued deadlock in efforts to restore diplomatic representation.
Asta Skaisgirytė told the radio Žinių Radijas that there has been no “significant progress” in talks with Beijing.
“There has been no significant progress, because the Chinese side is making a certain demand regarding the Taiwanese office, and I do not think this is a demand that can be easily met,” she said. “It seems that as long as this demand remains in place, such relations will not be viewed from the Chinese side in the same way as elsewhere.”
Skaisgirytė did not detail China’s condition. When asked whether restoring diplomatic representation would require closing the Taiwanese office, she said, “I would not put it so categorically. Life always brings different turns and opportunities. However, at this point, this is a condition we cannot meet.”
She said Lithuania continues to seek the restoration of ties, but added: “Whether there will be a response from China remains to be seen.”
Vilnius and Beijing have been locked in dispute for several years over the name of the Taiwanese representative office, which Beijing views as crossing its diplomatic red lines. Diplomatic representation in both countries has since been reduced, and since mid-May there have been no accredited Chinese diplomats or staff in Lithuania.
In June, then-Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said Lithuania had submitted a proposal to restore relations, but Beijing has yet to respond.
Following the recent change of government, the program of Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė’s cabinet includes a commitment to “restore diplomatic relations with China to the level seen in other European Union states”.
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