Taiwan’s “Representative Office” opens in Lithuania

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Taiwan has opened what it calls its Representative Office in Lithuania, defying China’s attempts to dissuade Vilnius from allowing what could be considered a de facto embassy for the self-governed island. Taiwan’s foreign ministry says that via the opening of the office, Taipei and Vilnius will deepen economic cooperation, in the tech sector in particular.

China is calling the opening of the Representative Office in the Baltic country “egregious” but has not specified any retaliatory actions other than holding Vilnius responsible for the consequences. The plan to open it first drew Beijing’s ire in August, when China sent Lithuania’s ambassador packing after Taiwan had divulged the name of its pending facility.

Observers say that while the opening of the Representative Office in Lithuania reveals Vilnius’ desire for closer relations with Taipei, Lithuania will still adhere to the EU’s “one China” policy and looks to participate in the “27 + 1” format.

This latest development regarding Taiwan comes in the wake of a report earlier this week, according to which lawmakers in Brussels had taken a step back from unveiling a new strategy for EU trade and economic dealings the island, in the hopes of not further aggravating tense EU-China relations.

Source: Al Jazeera