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For relations between Lithuania and the People's Republic of China, see China–Lithuania relations. Bilateral relations
Lithuania–Taiwan relations
Map indicating locations of Lithuania and Taiwan

Lithuania
Taiwan

The Beiyang-controlled Republic of China (ROC) established diplomatic relations with Lithuania in 1921, three years after it reestablished its independence from Russia following the Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The formal relations continued until the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states in 1940. In 1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) was established and the island of Taiwan became the main territory administered by the ROC (also known as Taiwan). After Lithuania's independence in 1990, it decided to instead establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.

In the absence of diplomatic relations, since 2021 Taiwan is represented by the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, which handles economic and cultural relations as well as consular matters. As of 2021, Lithuania is establishing a trade office in Taiwan.

History

During the Interwar Period, both Lithuania and the Republic of China (ROC) were relatively new countries, with Lithuania having reestablished independence in 1918 and the ROC having recently overthrown the Qing dynasty in 1912; during this time, Taiwan island was a Japanese colony (ceded by the Qing empire in 1895). Lithuania and the ROC established diplomatic relations in 1921, continuing until Lithuania's annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940 during World War II. During the Soviet occupation, which the ROC (nor the PRC) did not de jure recognize, relations were de facto nonexistent. After World War II in 1945, the ROC took control of Taiwan from the Japanese, and in 1949 the ROC lost the Chinese Civil War and retreated to Taiwan. Eventually, the ROC became more commonly referred to as simply Taiwan, and over the years most countries switched recognition from the ROC to the PRC (including the United States in 1979).

Following the Lithuanian restoration of independence in 1990, the Republic of Lithuania decided to establish diplomatic relations with China (PRC) instead of Taiwan (ROC). Lithuania and Taiwan did not have much exchange throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with Taiwan's main partner in the Baltic states being Latvia.

Recent developments

Since 2020, Lithuania-Taiwan relations have rapidly warmed, and in April of that year 200 Lithuanian politicians and public figures petitioned the President of Lithuania to support Taiwan's membership in the World Health Organization. These calls were reiterated by the then-foreign minister, Linas Linkevičius, in a direct phone call with the head of the WHO. On 19 June 2020, Taiwanese representative to the Baltic states Andy Chin spoke in the Seimas at the invitation of the opposition Homeland Union, inviting objection from China and marking the highest platform any Taiwanese official had achieved in the Baltic states.

Lithuania's Freedom Party 2020 electoral program had a clause supporting full recognition of the independence of Taiwan (ROC), and in the 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election, parties sympathetic to Taiwan such as the Homeland Union and Freedom Party entered government and formed a coalition. In 2021, the Lithuania-Taiwan Forum was established by over 50 Lithuanian political figures, most notably Mantas Adomėnas and Gintaras Steponavičius, and it was announced that Lithuania would open a trade office in Taiwan. In October 2021, Lithuania's parliament passed a legislative revision that gave the green light to the country to open a representative office in Taiwan. On 18 November 2021, Taiwan opened its de facto embassy, the Taiwanese Representative Office (TRO), in Vilnius.

Controversy

"Taiwanese" in the title of the TRO refers to the Taiwanese people, not a Taiwanese state or a Taiwanese nation - a clear distinction in the Lithuanian language.

Lithuanian leaders have unequivocally stated that Lithuania does not recognize independence of Taiwan; does not maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan; that the TRO is not a diplomatic mission; and that Lithuania is not in breach of its 1991 agreement with Beijing on the establishment of diplomatic relations that recognized the One China policy.

Not agreeing with the Lithuanian argumentation and accusing Lithuania of having breached the agreement by allowing use of the word “Taiwan” in the title instead of following the established international practice of using “Taipei”, Beijing recalled their ambassador from Vilnius and asked Lithuania to reciprocate. However the two countries continue to maintain diplomatic relations on the charge d’affaires level.

Trade and cultural cooperation

Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania

In 2020, Lithuania exported $37.8 million (USD) to Taiwan or 0.07%, and imported $97.3 million, or 0.23%. Lithuanian exports were predominantly tobacco, chemicals, furniture and wood, while Taiwanese exports were mainly in the tech and machinery sector.

In September 2021, Taiwan announced that Lithuania has suddenly become a top-10 destination for Taiwanese credit card spending worldwide in the first half of 2021, with 112,000 transactions spending 86m USD; however a Lithuanian media investigation found no evidence of any significant Taiwanese spending in Lithuania via e-commerce or otherwise; the Bank of Lithuania observed an increase of 56% of Lithuania-Taiwan financial transactions from the period from the previous year but could not explain their source due to lack of data.

Taipei and Vilnius established sister city status on 28 May 1998..

Mutual aid

Taiwan donated 100,000 face masks to Lithuania early during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Lithuania donated 20,000 and then a further 235,900 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan. Taiwanese food giant I-Mei Foods donated over 21,000 of its signature puff cookies to Lithuania in gratitude.

See also

References

  1. "Taiwan and Lithuania's Ties Grow Tighter". chinaobservers. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  2. "China warns Lithuania over Taiwan opening de facto embassy". 20 July 2021.
  3. "Nemaloni tiesa apie Taivaniečių atstovybės atidarymą: kuo baigėsi didvyriška mūsų diplomatijos vadovų kova". Delfi.lt. 22 November 2021.
  4. Andrijauskas, Konstantinas (13 January 2021). "Taiwan and Lithuania ties grow tighter". China Observers. China Observers.EU. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  5. "Lithuania calls on WHO to invite Taiwan to international assembly". lrt.lt. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  6. "Chinese ambassador incensed after Taiwan representative speaks in Lithuanian parliament". lrt.lt. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  7. "Laisvės partijos" (PDF). www.laisvespartija.lt. 2020. p. 138. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  8. "BNS: Naujiena". BNS (in Lithuanian). 22 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  9. "Lithuania to open Taiwan trade office, the latest sign of discontent with China by a '17+1' member". South China Morning Post. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  10. "Lithuania passes law, giving green light to open Taiwan office - Focus Taiwan". focustaiwan.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  11. "Taiwan opens representative office in Lithuania". DW. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  12. "Nemaloni tiesa apie Taivaniečių atstovybės atidarymą: kuo baigėsi didvyriška mūsų diplomatijos vadovų kova". Delfi.lt. 22 November 2021.
  13. "Kinija dėl Taivano atstovybės atšaukia savo ambasadorių, Lietuvos reikalauja padaryti tą patį". Vz.lt. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  14. "Kinija baiminasi, kad Lietuva ras pasekėjų: gali panaudoti visą savo galią surengti tikrą šou". Delfi.lt. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  15. "I. Šimonytė nesutinka su Kinijos kaltinimais: mes laikomės sutarties". Diena.lt. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  16. "URM: taivaniečių atstovybė Vilniuje diplomatinio statuso neturės". Delfi.lt. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  17. Aboudouh, Ahmed. "'More bark than bite': How China's reprimand over Taiwan falls on deaf ears in Lithuania". The Independent. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  18. Agence France-Presse. "Lithuania ambassador leaving China". www.taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  19. "China downgrades ties with Lithuania over Taiwan". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  20. "Lithuania (LTU) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners – The Observatory of Economic Complexity". OEC. 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  21. "Lietuvos verslas nepastebėjo taivaniečių milijonų". 15min.lt. 14 September 2021.
  22. "Taipei City Council-International Sister Cities". 臺北市議會. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  23. "Taiwan company plans to send puffs to Lithuania following vaccine donation". Central News Agency (Taiwan). Retrieved 9 December 2021.
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