Lithuania has presented an action plan to Taiwan aimed at boosting investment, a senior presidential aide said Tuesday, as officials seek to deepen economic ties following the opening of a Taiwanese representative office in the country.
“Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy are working together; a certain action plan has been prepared and proposed to the Taiwanese side,” Asta Skaisgirytė told the radio Žinių Radijas.
“If the Taiwanese side agrees to it, we believe we could host much more from the Taiwanese than we do now,” she added.
Lithuania had expected a surge in economic cooperation after the opening of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius in 2021, a move that led to tensions with China. However, officials have recently acknowledged that Taiwanese investment has fallen short of expectations.
The move to open the office triggered a strong response from China, which downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania and led to a decline in bilateral trade.
Lithuania’s current Social Democrat-led government has signalled it aims to restore full diplomatic relations with China. National leaders have indicated that such a step would likely require renaming the Taiwanese office, a decision that would need approval from Taipei.
Skaisgirytė said improving ties with China “is one of many issues, and probably not a priority”.
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