Taiwan does not oppose Lithuania restoring ties with China: FM

Taipei, Nov. 7 (CNA) Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Thursday said the government does not oppose the incoming Lithuanian government restoring relations with China, adding that Beijing-Taipei-Vilnius relations are not a "zero-sum game."

Lin made the comments during a Legislative session when asked about remarks from the incoming Lithuanian prime minister, Gintautas Paluckas, who said he wished to restore full diplomatic relations with China.

The rift between Lithuania and China began in 2021 following the inclusion of "Taiwanese" in the name of Taiwan's representative office in Vilnius in 2021. In response, Beijing downgraded diplomatic ties with Vilnius and imposed trade restrictions.

Asked to comment on whether the Taipei office name would be changed by the incoming Lithuanian government, Lin told opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Huang Jen (黃仁) that the name of the office has been agreed upon by both governments.

Bilateral discussions will be needed if either side wishes to amend the decision, he said.

"We do not oppose Lithuania's desire to normalize relations with China, but doing so does not mean the Baltic state cannot maintain its relationship with Taiwan," he said.

Taiwan-China-Lithuania trilateral relations are not a zero-sum game, he said, adding that Lithuania, as a sovereign state, can choose to engage with China and Taiwan as it wishes.

An English-language Lithuanian National Radio and Television report on Oct. 31 quoted Paluckas as saying the name of the representative office had been a "grave diplomatic mistake."

Paluckas, however, refrained from saying whether he would ask Taipei to change the name if Beijing demanded it.