In brief

• Lithuania's Foreign Ministry reportedly asked Taiwan's Vilnius office to change its name by October 1.
• The request was reportedly tied to offers of an investment agreement, double taxation talks and a special envoy post.
• An opposition party plans a parliamentary inquiry, while the foreign minister disputes how the reports were presented.

Request delivered at a September meeting

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry reportedly handed the head of the Taiwanese office in Vilnius, Constance H. Wang, an informal document urging the office to change its name (URM ragina Taivaną keisti atstovybės Lietuvoje pavadinimą – Bernardinai.lt) (Žiniasklaida: URM rugsėjį pateikė Taivaniečių atstovybei prašymą pakeisti pavadinimą – vz.lt). According to Delfi, the paper was presented on September 24 at a meeting attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Vidmantas Verbickas and diplomat Ričardas Šlepavičius. The document set October 1 as the deadline for the change, a date that coincides with China's National Day.

What Taipei was offered in return

The same document reportedly offered Taiwan a bilateral agreement on investment prospects and talks on a double taxation avoidance deal (M. Sinkevičius teigia norintis matyti galutinį rezultatą santykiuose su Kinija, o ne komentuoti procesą – Bernardinai.lt). It also foresaw the creation of a special envoy post for Taiwan matters within the ministry. Business representatives on the Taiwanese side reportedly came to the meeting expecting to discuss economic ties and investment, which made the request unexpected for them.

Reactions

Remigijus Žemaitaitis, chair of the opposition Nemunas Aušra party, said on Monday that he would seek a temporary parliamentary inquiry into possible pressure from the ministry (R. Žemaitaitis siūlo parlamentinį tyrimą dėl galimo URM spaudimo taivaniečiams – Bernardinai.lt). He also said the question of whether Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys can remain in office should be raised. Budrys declined to comment on the details, saying the reports were inaccurately presented, but confirmed that talks with Taiwan had covered various aspects of bilateral relations (K. Budrys: informacija apie URM prašymą keisti taivaniečiams – netiksliai pateikta – Bernardinai.lt). Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius's press office said the government wants a final result in relations with China rather than commentary on the process, and that the choice of steps rests with the foreign minister.

Background

The office was opened in Vilnius in 2021, with promises of closer cooperation and large investment (Žiniasklaida: URM ragina Taivaną keisti atstovybės Lietuvoje pavadinimą – Diena.lt). Ministry of Economy and Innovation data cited by ELTA show direct Taiwanese investment flows rose noticeably but total amounts remain modest. Beijing regards Taiwan as a Chinese province and does not accept such offices in countries it has official ties with, and the opening strained Vilnius's relations with Beijing. The naming debate began earlier this year under former prime minister Inga Ruginienė, who questioned why the office could not be called Taipei.