Lithuania Faces Taiwan Office Row, Drone Incident and Budget Pressure
Reports say Vilnius asked Taipei to rename its representative office in an effort to mend ties with Beijing. The week also brought a drone incident, budget deficit worries and a new assisted reproduction law.
A political dispute erupted in Lithuania this week over whether the government asked Taiwan to change the name of its representative office in Vilnius. The news outlet Delfi, citing sources, reported that a document was handed to Taiwanese representatives in September, asking that the request remain confidential. The aim would be to repair relations with China, which ruptured in 2021 after Lithuania allowed the Taiwanese office to operate under the name Taiwanese rather than Taipei. The developments were summarised in the 13 November newsletter of LRT English, the Lithuanian public broadcaster's English-language service.
Political reaction
President Gitanas Nausėda did not confirm that such a request was made, but said all moves are coordinated with him, unlike "the nonsense" under the previous government. Gabrielius Landsbergis, the former foreign minister who led the Taiwan pivot, was critical and warned that Lithuania risked being seen as "a country that broke". He also threw the "nonsense" remark back at the president. Several MPs hosted Chinese representatives in parliament this week, and the visitors also met Foreign Ministry officials; the content of the talks has not been disclosed.
Drones and security
Lithuania saw another drone incident. Three unidentified objects approached from Belarus but moved north into Russia, while a probable stray Ukrainian drone entered Lithuania from Belarus via Poland as Kyiv attacked Russia's St Petersburg region. The drone crossed the entire country and entered Estonia and Latvia, where air alerts were declared. Two attempts by NATO fighter jets to shoot it down failed, and one missile exploded in rural Lithuania.
Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Russia cannot have a veto over NATO activity in Eastern Europe and the Baltics, responding to repeated US references to a European security structure that Moscow is pushing for.
Economy and demographics
Swedbank cut its growth forecast for Lithuania. The country faces a projected budget deficit as defence and social security spending accelerate, and politicians are eyeing new taxes, including a windfall tax on energy companies. Poland's Orlen said it might shut its refinery. Food prices continue to fall. A plan was also announced to split the energy grid into seven autonomous "islands", with private investors expected to put in about 880 million euros. Meanwhile, a new law opens assisted reproduction to unmarried couples and single women; one politician estimated it could mean 500 to 600 extra births a year.
