Lithuanian and Chinese officials are discussing a possible normalization of diplomatic relations between the two sides, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis announced on Friday.
“I would not like to talk about the scale at the moment, but the talks are definitely going on. Even now,” he told reporters when asked if it was possible that the ambassadors of the two countries would return to the other country.
In 2021, China lowered the level of its diplomatic representation in Lithuania and imposed trade restrictions on Lithuania in response to Vilnius’ decision to open a Taiwan representation under the name of the island instead of Taipei, as is customary in many parts of the world. In Beijing’s assessment, Lithuania expresses its support for Taiwan as an independent country and rejects the so-called one-China policy,
China is trying to isolate Taiwan internationally, which it considers its territory.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, Joseph Wu, is currently on a visit to Lithuania, and on Thursday he met with the Speaker of the Seimas, Viktoria Chmilitis-Nilsen, who was on a visit to Taiwan in October. Some members of the Seimas also met with Wu, but President Gitan Nausėda and government representatives did not meet with the Taiwanese foreign minister.
Taiwan and mainland China are governed separately since the Nationalist government of the Republic of China, defeated in the civil war, took refuge on this island in 1949, but the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed in the communist-occupied mainland China, which still considers Taiwan a part of its territory. Taiwan lives under the constant threat of Chinese invasion.
2023-11-10 20:47:35
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