Top Lithuanian diplomat looks forward to expanding ties with Taiwan

Washington, Nov. 10 (CNA) Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys on Monday lauded his country's good relations with Taiwan and said he hoped to expand cooperation and build "strategic partnerships" with Taiwan amid increasing threats from authoritarian regimes.

Asked to comment on Lithuania's policy toward Taiwan during a think tank event in Washington, Budrys told reporters that the two sides already have "really good cooperation."

"And we are looking forward to expanding it, and especially in the sectors and fields where we need technological cooperation to [make] us stronger," he said.

He said the two sides have to build strategic partnerships, in particular in fields "targeted by authoritarian regimes across the globe," without elaborating.

Budrys said Lithuania and Taiwan are connected by "cooperation and an intense partnership" because of Russia and China, and that the fates of the Indo-Pacific region and Europe are closely intertwined.

When a major conflict occurs in the Indo-Pacific region, it is bound to have consequences for Europe, and if something were to happen on the NATO side with Russia, there would also be consequences for the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

Beijing could even learn from Moscow's example and do the same in the Indo-Pacific region, Budrys believed.

That is why he understood the United States' ongoing push for European countries to boost their defense spending, Budrys said, stressing the "peace through strength" concept.

Budrys is a security expert who has served as Lithuania's foreign minister since a new government took over in the Baltic country on Dec. 12, 2024.

The ties between Lithuania and Taiwan have warmed up in recent years after both countries opened reciprocal representative offices.

Beijing strongly objected to Lithuania's 2021 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 the new government assumed power late last year, it has remained insistent on not changing the name of Taiwan's representative office in Vilnius.