Lithuania’s new office in Taiwan not a de facto embassy, Taipei says

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tells lawmakers it’s a trade office with no consular or political functions
It was officially opened by the Baltic state’s economy and innovation ministry two weeks ago

Taiwan

Lawrence Chungin Taipei

Published: 9:12pm, 21 Nov 2022

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Lithuania’s representative office in Taipei is not operating as a de facto embassy, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told lawmakers on Monday.

He said it was a trade office, with no consular or political functions, when asked during a legislative meeting whether it had any diplomatic role.

The office was officially opened by the Baltic state on November 7.

“It is a trade office opened by Lithuania’s Ministry of the Economy and Innovation, unlike the representative offices set up by [Taiwan’s] foreign ministry in other countries,” Wu said.

Taiwan and Lithuania agreed to swap representative offices last year in a move that infuriated Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island and has repeatedly warned other countries against having official contact with Taipei.

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu says Taipei “reminded” Vilnius to include consular and other services at its trade office in Taiwan in the future. Photo: EPA-EFE

“That office [in Taipei] is not involved in business other than trade and the economy,” Wu said, when asked by Lo Chih-cheng, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, if the office had any diplomatic role.

But Wu said the island’s government had “reminded” Lithuania to include consular and other services at its trade office in Taiwan in the future.

Asked why the office – called the Lithuanian Trade Representative Office – does not state the territory where it is based as other foreign offices in Taipei do, Wu said that was the decision taken by the Lithuanian ministry.

The 2021 agreement allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius in November, using the title Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania. Wu confirmed on Monday that the Taiwanese office carries out consular, business and other services.

The Lithuanian office was originally set to open in Taipei in September – its representative, Paulius Lukauskas, arrived in Taiwan that month – but it did not officially open until two weeks ago.

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Lo told the legislative meeting that the launch of the Lithuanian office was “far too low key” compared to the opening of Somaliland’s representative office in Taipei.

Foreign Minister Wu attended that launch in September 2020. But the government appeared to have been represented by a lower level official at the opening of the Lithuanian office this month, according to a photo released by Taiwan’s foreign ministry.

Wu said it was the Lithuanian ministry’s decision not to host a bigger event to mark the opening of its new office in Taipei.

The agreement between Taiwan and Lithuania to open the offices was seen as a win for Taipei in its years of diplomatic tussles with Beijing. In retaliation, Beijing downgraded its relations with Vilnius and imposed trade sanctions on the Baltic nation for what it saw as a breach of its one-China principle.

Lithuania – riled by what it sees as economic coercion by Beijing – has remained vocal in its support of Taiwan. Meanwhile, Taiwan earlier this month said it would put at least €30 million (US$30.9 million) towards business, financing and industrial cooperation with Lithuania, including a first major investment of €10 million in three business projects in the country.