Politologist says Taiwan office deal will require sacrifices

A settlement in the dispute over the name of Taiwan’s representative office in Vilnius is possible, but would involve difficult trade-offs, political scientist Arvydas Kumpis told LRT. Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys says negotiations are continuing and reports that his ministry asked the office to change its name are not entirely accurate.

Delfi reported that in September Deputy Foreign Minister Vidmantas Verbickas and diplomat Ričardas Šlepavičius gave an informal document to three representatives of the office, including its head, Constance Wang. The document reportedly urged the office to change its name by October 1, the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Budrys declined to discuss the details, saying there was respect for the partners involved but that “not everything presented there is accurate.” The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania said in a Facebook post that cooperation with Lithuania was based on mutual respect, shared interests, transparency and partnership. It added that public discussion of bilateral relations should rely on verified facts, not assumptions or speculation.

Opposition politicians have called for parliamentary scrutiny. Members of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee have requested an extraordinary meeting, while Remigijus Žemaitaitis has called for a parliamentary investigation. Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said a name change would cause significant political damage and amount to yielding to authoritarian governments. Committee deputy chair Žygimantas Pavilionis accused Budrys of pressuring Taiwan by linking investment, deputy-minister-level visits and ratification of a double-taxation agreement to a change of name.

President Gitanas Nausėda said he trusted the minister and argued that the current government was not bound to continue its predecessor’s Taiwan policy. He said decisions such as opening the representative office could no longer be made by the foreign minister without coordination with other state institutions.

Kumpis, a political scientist at Vytautas Magnus University, said talks with China might not begin until the office’s name is resolved. He pointed to a Taiwanese representative office operating in Riga as an example suggesting an agreement was possible, but said the key question was whose principles would take priority and what would have to be sacrificed.