Vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) on Thursday met with two Lithuanian presidential candidates during a low-key visit to Vilnius, a Lithuanian national security expert said on Friday.
Hsiao met with Dainius Zalimas of the Freedom Party, part of the ruling block, and Giedrimas Jeglinskas of the opposition Union of Democrats “For Lithuania,” Marius Laurinaviciusin wrote on Facebook.
The meeting not only showcased Zalimas’ consistent pro-Taiwan stance, but also hinted at a potential shift in attitude toward Taipei within the opposition bloc, wrote Laurinaviciusin, a Lithuanian journalist and political commentator who also attended the meeting.
Photo: Screen grab from Marius Laurinaviciusin’s Facebook page
In addition to the talks, Hsiao visited Taiwan-friendly politicians and gave a speech about the nation’s democratic development at the Institute of International Relations and Political Sciences in Vilnius, he said.
It is regrettable that the news was neither disclosed by any local politicians nor covered by the media, he added.
“In any case, this visit was really the most important event of today in Lithuania in the field of international relations,” he said.
Laurinaviciusin also praised Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, who on Tuesday posted a photograph on X of him meeting with Hsiao.
The incoming vice president’s low-key Czech trip came after she reportedly visited the US in a personal capacity earlier this month. Both triggered anger from China.
Yesterday, Zygimantas Pavilionis, chairman of the Lithuanian Semias’ Foreign Affairs Committee, posted on X group photos of Hsiao and himself with his Estonian and Latvian counterparts — Marko Mihkelson and Rihards Kols.
Jason Worlledge, International Republican Institute resident program director of Eurasia and transatlantic strategies in Poland, posted a selfie of himself with Hsiao on X, saying it was great to have met her in Warsaw.
Hsiao first visited the Polish capital for a forum held by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation before traveling to Lithuania, a Polish academic said.
Hsiao, 52, served as Taiwan’s top representative to Washington from July 2020, before resigning from the post in November last year to be Vice President William Lai’s (賴清德) running mate in the Jan. 13 presidential race.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS