Lithuania plans to open a representative office in Taiwan, and leave a Beijing-led alliance with central and eastern European nations, Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT) quoted a lawmaker as saying on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it welcomes countries willing to establish friendly relations with Taiwan, but added that it has no additional information on the matter.
The Lithunian Committee on Foreign Affairs last month agreed that the Baltic nation should leave China’s 17+1 initiative to bolster cooperation between Beijing and 17 European nations, the LRT report said.
Photo: Screen grab from Facebook
“China has aims to take over strategic infrastructure in various countries... Why should we embroil ourselves in these risks?” Lithuanian Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman and former diplomat Zygimantas Pavilionis was quoted as saying in the report.
Estonia, Latvia and several other east European nations are thinking of taking similar steps, he said, adding that Lithuania plans to expand relations with Taiwan by opening an economic office in the country.
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis told LRT that the cooperation program with Beijing has brought Lithuania “almost no benefits.”
“The 17+1 initiative ... is not useful for Europe; it is dividing Europe, because countries have different opinions on China,” he said.
“I am not saying that we are leaving [the alliance] and that it is the end, but we should consider what is a useful way of building a relationship with China,” he added.
Lithuania is not alone in its reluctance to continue working with China, as evidenced by the Chinese and Central and Eastern European virtual summit held on Feb. 9, during which the three Baltic states, along with Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia, sent ministers instead of their head of state or government.
In April last year, 50 Lithuanian members of parliament, along with more than 200 political and intellectual figures, wrote a joint letter to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda expressing their support for Taiwan to join international organizations and to establish an office in Taiwan.
The move is in line with the promise made by Lithuania’s coalition government in November last year that it would “actively oppose any violation of human rights and democratic freedoms, and will defend those fighting for freedom around the world, from Belarus to Taiwan.”
In Taipei, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) yesterday said that Taiwan is open to making friends with nations around the world and welcomes any move that would deepen Taiwan-Lithuania relations.
However, the ministry has no further information regarding Lithuania’s reported plan to establish a representative office in Taiwan, she said.
As for the Baltic nation’s plan to leave the 17+1 platform, the ministry has no comment, she said.
The Taipei MRT is open all night tonight following New Year’s Eve festivities, and is offering free rides from nearby Green Line stations. Taipei’s 2025 New Year’s Eve celebrations kick off at Taipei City Hall Square tonight, with performances from the boy band Energy, the South Korean girl group Apink, and singers Gigi Leung (梁詠琪) and Faith Yang (楊乃文). Taipei 101’s annual New Year’s firework display follows at midnight, themed around Taiwan’s Premier12 baseball championship. Estimates say there will be about 200,000 people in attendance, which is more than usual as this year’s celebrations overlap with A-mei’s (張惠妹) concert at Taipei Dome. There are
NEW YEAR’S ADDRESS: ‘No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path,’ William Lai said, urging progress ‘without looking back’ President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged parties across the political divide to democratically resolve conflicts that have plagued domestic politics within Taiwan’s constitutional system. In his first New Year’s Day address since becoming president on May 20 last year, Lai touched on several issues, including economic and security challenges, but a key emphasis was on the partisan wrangling that has characterized his first seven months in office. Taiwan has transformed from authoritarianism into today’s democracy and that democracy is the future, Lai said. “No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path for Taiwan,” he said. “The only choice
CORRUPTION: Twelve other people were convicted on charges related to giving illegal benefits, forgery and money laundering, with sentences ranging from one to five years The Yilan District Court yesterday found Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙) guilty of corruption, sentencing her to 12 years and six months in prison. The Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office in 2022 indicted 10 government officials and five private individuals, including Lin, her daughter and a landowner. Lin was accused of giving illegal favors estimated to be worth NT$2.4 million (US$73,213) in exchange for using a property to conduct activities linked to the 2020 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential and legislative election campaigns. Those favors included exempting some property and construction firms from land taxes and building code contraventions that would have required
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
RSS