Lithuanian PM says too early to discuss renaming Taiwanese office before talks with China

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius told reporters on Monday that it is too early to discuss changing the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius, as planned talks with diplomats from the People's Republic of China have not yet taken place. The issue matters because it touches on efforts to restore diplomatic representation between Lithuania and China, which has been suspended since 2021.

Sinkevičius was responding to a report by the news website Delfi, which said the Foreign Ministry asked the Taiwanese office in September to change its name as part of efforts to normalise relations with Beijing. Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys called the report inaccurate but declined to comment further.

Upcoming visit

Chinese diplomats are expected in Lithuania this week for meetings with the Foreign Ministry and a parliamentary group that seeks to normalise relations. The prime minister stressed that restoring diplomatic representation is a commitment in the government's programme, coordinated by the Foreign Ministry. He noted that diplomatic relations were never formally severed, although representation was suspended. Sinkevičius said Lithuania has no preconditions and sets none for China either.

Asked whether Taiwan had been pressured, he said the wording depends on how the reported proposal is interpreted, and argued there was a lot of noise and attempts to dramatize the issue.

Opposition reaction and background

Opposition politicians reacted strongly, arguing that such a move would amount to appeasing authoritarian states and harm Lithuania's interests. Remigijus Žemaitaitis, an opposition MP and leader of the Nemunas Dawn party, proposed a temporary parliamentary commission to investigate the alleged pressure. In a statement on November 6, the Taiwanese office said cooperation is based on mutual respect, and it told 15min.lt it has no intention of changing its name.

Relations deteriorated in autumn 2021 after the Taiwanese office opened in Vilnius. Similar missions elsewhere operate under the name Taipei. China downgraded its representation in Vilnius to chargé d'affaires level, while Lithuania refused to accredit new Chinese diplomats, leaving China without diplomatic personnel in the country since May last year. An October Economy Ministry review concluded that the office's opening had not significantly increased Lithuanian exports to Taiwan.