Taiwan has opened a de facto embassy in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
The foreign ministry says that the opening of this representative office will “charter a new and promising course for bilateral relations between Taiwan and Lithuania.” In particular, the foreign ministry sees promise for bilateral cooperation in the areas of semiconductors, lasers, and fintech.
One of the most notable things about the new office in Lithuania is its name. Most of Taiwan’s offices abroad must give themselves euphemistic names such as Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices that avoid direct mention of Taiwan. This is to avoid angering China, which claims Taiwan and sees representing Taiwan as its sole prerogative.
However, the new office in Lithuania has broken with the usual naming conventions, and is explicitly calling itself a Taiwanese Representative Office.
The response from China has been sharp. Earlier in the year, it recalled its ambassador from Lithuania and demanded that Lithuania withdraw its ambassador from Beijing, too. It has also retaliated against Lithuania with economic measures, including halting direct freight train services to the country.
As the office opened on Thursday, China’s foreign ministry issued another protest. It accused Lithuania of violating the “One China principle” and breaking the political agreements it made when it first established diplomatic relations with Beijing.
So far, Chinese objections and retaliation do not seem to have had an impact on Lithuania’s move towards closer cooperation with Taiwan. Lithuania is reportedly set to open an office of its own in Taipei early next year.