Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said Monday that the opening of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania has brought no benefits from Taipei and has damaged relations with China.
“The main mistake was made when we rushed ahead […] and established an office under a name that no one else in the EU had used until now – thus finally severing all, even business, relations with China. What did this bring us? Exactly zero benefit from Taiwan and a significant negative one from China,” Ruginienė said in an interview with Lrytas.lt.
Ruginienė said in February that Lithuania had “jumped the gun and lost” by opening the office without coordinating the move with the European Union and the United States. She said consultations are now underway on normalising relations with China.
The prime minister added that Lithuania should hold discussions with Taiwan to remind it of its promises and commitments.
“Let us raise discussions on whether we need to return to those same bilateral relations with Taiwan and remind them of the promises Lithuania fulfilled, while we received no benefit from Taiwan,” she said.
“If we shake hands, I know that I do everything to fulfil my obligations, and I expect the same from a partner. I find it unacceptable when one side makes an effort while the other does not do what they actually promised,” Ruginienė argued.
The prime minister has repeatedly suggested she was open to renaming the office so that it bears the name “Taipei” rather than “Taiwan”.
Meanwhile, President Gitanas Nausėda has said Lithuania is interested in restoring normal diplomatic relations with China while also seeking to expand potential economic cooperation with Taiwan. According to him, ties with Taipei have been utilised “only to a small extent”.
Ruginienė said that during a high-level meeting on foreign and security policy in February, the president agreed with the positions she expressed.
Vilnius and Beijing have been at odds for several years over diplomatic representation following the dispute over the office’s name. Since mid-May last year, no accredited Chinese diplomats or staff have remained in Lithuania, and bilateral trade has declined since the office opened in 2021.
The Ruginienė government’s program includes a goal to restore diplomatic relations with China to the same diplomatic level as in other EU member states.
A recent poll by Baltijos Tyrimai commissioned by LRT and published last week found that six out of 10 residents support changing the office’s name.
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