Lithuania debates Taiwan office name amid Beijing pressure

LONDON (TVBS News) — Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda suggested on Tuesday (May 7) that the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania may need to change to stabilize political and economic pressure from Beijing.

The office, established in November 2021, is Taiwan's first European representative office to bear the name "Taiwan," with others in non-diplomatic European countries named after Taipei.

However, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė disagreed, arguing that forcing Taiwan to change the office's name would be unwise and unhelpful.

Šimonytė warned that Lithuania must consider the larger geopolitical picture, and sacrificing Taiwan to "repair" relations with China could damage Lithuania's reputation among other democratic nations and embarrass the country in front of its transatlantic partners who strongly support Lithuania's pro-Taiwan stance.

Šimonytė also noted that government assessments show China poses a threat to Lithuania's national security and has been assisting Russia in its aggression against Ukraine.

The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania emphasized that the office's name was a consensus reached after a series of bilateral negotiations between the two governments. The bilateral relationship between Taiwan and Lithuania is not only based on shared values of freedom, democracy, rule of law, and human rights but also mutual benefit. Both sides should "look forward" and continue to cooperate to promote bilateral relations, the office said.

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