Lithuania, Taiwan need to defend rules-based order for survival: Ex-FM

Taipei, Jan. 15 (CNA) Lithuania and Taiwan are "destined to work together" in defending the rules-based order as doing so is "imperative" for smaller nations' survival, a former top diplomat from the Baltic state said in Taipei on Wednesday.

Smaller democracies like Lithuania and Taiwan "must remain active, courageous and united in today's geopolitically unstable world," said former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in a speech arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Prospect Foundation.

"They must stand firm in defending the rules-based democratic global order and rallying allies to preserve it. Such actions are not merely desirable, but imperative for the survival of smaller nations," he argued.

Despite their geographical distance, Taipei and Vilnius "are destined to work together" due to the shared democratic values that connect them, he said.

Landsbergis said the world's attention has been on Lithuania since late 2021, when a government he was part of allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in its capital under the name "Taiwanese" despite Beijing's protests.

Beijing strongly objected because Taiwan's representative offices in countries with which it does not have diplomatic ties typically do not use "Taiwan" or "Taiwanese" in their names, which would imply that Taiwan is a sovereign country, separate from China.

China, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory, responded by recalling its ambassador to Vilnius, expelling Lithuania's ambassador to Beijing, suspending direct freight rail service to Lithuania, and severely restricting access of the Baltic state's products to the Chinese market.

Landsbergis said in his address that not just China but many larger Western countries "were taken aback" by Lithuania's decision to support the move, with most of them believing "China would crush Lithuania."

"But here we are today. Lithuania remains standing, its economy growing, and its exports to China have been replaced with exports to other Indo-Pacific countries," he added.

In fact, European countries have learned from the Lithuania example in recent years and adopted their own Indo-Pacific strategies to reduce dependence on China, he said.

Lithuania was also one of the first countries to warn the world of Russia's aggression and supported Ukraine in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion in early 2022, he said.

Landsbergis said his country has been active in standing against two of the world's biggest powers because preserving a rules-based international order "is a matter of life and death" for Lithuania.

"If this order and its supporting institutions collapse, small nations, particularly those on geopolitical fault lines, truly become pawns in the great power games. We cannot allow that to happen," he said, warning that if Ukraine did not win, the entire democratic world would lose.

A scenario in which Ukraine lost to Russia and was forced to give up part of its territory would have a very "immediate and far-reaching effect worldwide," including toward Taiwan, he said.

"If Russia's coercive strategy is perceived as successful, hawks in Beijing will not become calmer or more peaceful. Quite the opposite. By supporting Ukraine, we are simultaneously contributing to deter China around Taiwan," he added.

Landsbergis was the top Lithuanian diplomat from December 2020 until November 2024. He was also chair of the Homeland Union (Lithuanian Christian Democrats) from 2015 to 2024.

He stepped down from that position in late October 2024 after his party lost a parliamentary election runoff to the opposition Social Democratic Party.

The country's new prime minister, Gintautas Paluckas of the Social Democratic Party, has said he wants to restore full diplomatic relations with China, but his administration has not commented on the possible renaming of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania.

Asked if he was worried about the new Lithuanian government's approach to Taiwan, Landsbergis said he believed it will largely continue the ongoing friendly exchanges with Taiwan but will take a more "pragmatic" approach by focusing on economic and trade relations.

Landsbergis is in Taiwan from Jan. 12 to Thursday on his first trip to Taiwan. On Tuesday, he was given a presidential medal by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) in recognition of his contribution to the promotion of relations between Taiwan and Lithuania.