Lithuania to open Taiwan trade office, the latest sign of discontent with China by a ‘17+1’ member
- Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says Lithuania gets ‘almost no benefits’ from the group, made up of China and Central and Eastern European states
- Landsbergis holds off announcing a departure, but analysts say it might be imminent
Lithuania will open an “enterprise office” in Taiwan by the end of the year, its Ministry of Economy and Innovation said on Wednesday, a move that risks irking Beijing at a troubled time for the European country’s relations with China.
The office will be aimed at “strengthening and diversifying of economic diplomacy in the Asian region”, a department spokesperson said, confirming an earlier Reuters report.
The move by Lithuania is just the latest sign of discontent by a member state in the “17+1”, an informal trade group of China and 17 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries founded in 2012.
Also on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told the local news outlet LRT.lt that Lithuania gets “almost no benefits” from the group.
“I am not saying that we are leaving and it’s the end, but we should really consider what is the useful way of building a relationship with China,” Landsbergis said.
04:45
China’s most-senior diplomats, Wang and Yang, conclude back-to-back visits to Europe
Though Landsbergis held off endorsing a departure, analysts said it might be imminent: “I believe it could be next week but it might come earlier,” said Konstantinas Andrijauskas, an associate professor in Asian Studies at Vilnius University.
