Taiwan-friendly lawmakers from Lithuania visit Taiwan

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) A Lithuanian group of Taiwan-friendly lawmakers is in Taiwan for six days to meet with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and other senior officials to boost bilateral relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Sunday.

The eight-member Seimas delegation is being led by Ruslanas Baranovas, chairperson of the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group.

It also includes Giedrimas Jeglinskas, chairperson of the Lithuanian Parliament's Committee on National Security and Defense, and Matas Maldeikis, vice chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, MOFA said in a statement.

During its stay from Sunday through Friday, the delegation will meet with Hsiao, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄), and Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明), among others, it said.

The Seimas members will also attend banquets hosted by National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu (吳志中) and discuss issues relating to bilateral relations, regional security and trade cooperation, it said.

Ties between the two countries have warmed up since 2021 when each side opened a reciprocal office in the other's capital city, with the opening of Taiwan's office in Vilnius triggering an unusually harsh reaction from China.

Beijing strongly objected to Lithuania's decision to allow "Taiwanese" in the name of Taiwan's representative office in Lithuania because it implies 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 Lithuanian exports' access to the Chinese market.

Although Lithuania tried to restore diplomatic links with China after a new government assumed power in December 2024, it has remained insistent on not changing the name of Taiwan's representative office in Vilnius.