Some foreign media have recently reported that Lithuania requested the "Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania" to change its name. Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chen Mingqi reiterated today (12th) that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no idea of changing the name. He explained that the name of the representative office was a name mutually agreed upon by both parties based on friendship and practical needs. He also admitted that if the name is really changed, "it will have a certain impact on our bilateral relations, there is no doubt about it."
According to foreign media reports, when officials from the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with three people including China’s representative in Lithuania, Wang Xuehong, on September 24, they submitted an informal document requesting the representative office to change its name before China’s National Day on October 1. Chen Mingqi recently responded that the media’s inferences based on “fake news” harmed Taiwan-Lebanon interaction. However, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda later confirmed in an exclusive interview that Lithuania was coordinating the name change and claimed that the current government had no obligation to continue the policies of the previous government.
The Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania was established in 2021. It was the first representative office in Europe named "Taiwan". China subsequently downgraded neutral diplomatic relations to the charge d'affaires level and imposed economic sanctions on Lithuania. Current Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said this year that it would be a mistake to allow the name "Taiwan" in 2021, and said it was possible to change the name of the representative office to "Taipei Representative Office." Nauseda also said in June that he had given Lithuania's current Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys an "ultimatum" to repair relations with China.
The Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of the Legislative Yuan today invited Chen Mingqi to report on "The Current Situation and Priorities of my country's Participation in International Organizations" and prepared for questions. In an interview before the meeting, Chen Mingqi said that Taiwan’s establishment of a representative office in Lithuania is the result of joint efforts by both parties, with the purpose of bringing mutual benefit to the people of the two countries; both Taiwan and Lithuania have made good progress in the fields of lasers, semiconductors, education and culture. He said that under the current name arrangement, if it can substantively promote bilateral relations, "that would be great." He also pointed out that the Lithuanian president and prime minister have repeatedly stated that the name is Taiwan’s decision, and they respect it.
Kuomintang legislator Huang Jianjia asked three questions during the inquiry. First, whether the Lithuanian government has formally or informally requested to adjust the name of the representative office, and whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received relevant documents. Second, foreign media reported that Lithuania may change its name in exchange for a deputy ministerial delegation's visit to Taiwan, an investment cooperation agreement and a double taxation avoidance agreement. Whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has control over this and what the bottom line is. Third, China has also sent a delegation to Lithuania in the past two days. Has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assessed that the Taiwan issue will become a bargaining chip for neutrality to restore relations?
Chen Mingqi said that Lithuanian President Nauseda also said that the restoration of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and China does not need to be at the expense of Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs "very much appreciates this statement" and hopes that Lithuania will think this way when handling relations with Taiwan in the future. As for the details of the communication between the two parties, he said that if it was inconvenient to disclose, he should "leave more space to both parties." He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the overall development trends, but the content of the negotiations between the two parties has not been fully finalized and it is inconvenient to explain to the outside world.
Huang Jianjia quoted foreign media reports as saying that Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys once said that the relevant negotiations were conducted in a low-key manner, firstly to make the negotiations smooth, and secondly because of the upcoming elections in Taiwan, and the Taiwanese government requested confidentiality. He demanded that if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thinks it is a rumor, it should come forward to sternly refute it. When the representative office was named "Taiwan", it was considered a major diplomatic breakthrough. Now if the name is changed, the matter is even more serious. He also compared "girlfriend" and "female friend" to sound very different. Chen Mingqi responded that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not specialized in handling gender relations, but it attaches great importance to exchanges with Lithuania, including the name.
Chen Mingqi said that Taiwan and Taiwan need each other. Optical communications are very important now, and Lithuania’s laser technology is quite good. We will continue to cooperate in this regard. He also admitted that in the past, "there was indeed some gap in expectations" for cooperation between the two parties, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is looking for cooperation projects that can continue to deepen bilateral relations.
Regarding the response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if Lithuania insists on changing its name, Chen Mingqi said that we will communicate with countries inside and outside the region to maintain the consensus between the two sides and stick to it, but there will also be "a lot of pragmatic considerations," including Taiwan's overall layout in Eastern Europe.
Huang Jianjia emphasized that Taiwan's diplomatic dignity cannot be used as a bargaining chip for other countries to improve relations with China. Chen Mingqi responded "completely agree." He pointed out that the new Lithuanian government has some ideas. China's seemingly huge market is often an inducement, but China has overcapacity problems. Many countries have deepened economic and trade relations with China, which has harmed the well-being of the people. Huang Jianjia asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be "harder" when speaking to foreign media, while Chen Mingqi said that with the support of members, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be more firm in its attitude.
