Nausėda backs Budrys in Taiwan office naming dispute

President Gitanas Nausėda said debate over an alleged request for Taiwan’s representative office in Vilnius to change its name had become an unnecessary emotional storm. He also said the issue was being coordinated with him, LRT reported.

“We no longer have the kind of governing majority where the foreign minister could open a representative office by exchanging letters with another country without coordinating with another state institution,” Nausėda told reporters on Monday, referring to former foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and the previous government led by the Conservatives. “Such nonsense no longer happens in Lithuania.”

The president was speaking after Delfi reported that the Foreign Ministry had asked the office in September to change its name as Lithuania seeks to restore diplomatic relations with China. Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys called media reports about the request inaccurate and declined to comment.

Asked whether he supported changing the office’s name, Nausėda said it remained to be seen. He added that Chinese diplomats were expected to visit Vilnius this week, after which Lithuania would decide how to proceed.

Nausėda said Lithuania wanted to understand why the trade potential discussed by the previous governing majority had not been realised. An October review by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, cited by BNS, found that opening the Taiwanese Representative Office had not significantly increased Lithuanian exports to Taiwan.

Relations with Beijing were “practically at zero”, Nausėda said, but did not need to become close immediately. Restoring what he called “diplomatic hygiene”, including having diplomatic representatives at a lower level to begin with, would be normal practice, he said.

He said Lithuania should seek normal relations with China while maintaining normal ties with Taiwan, and questioned claims that opening the office had delivered political benefits. Opposition parties said they were alarmed by reports that Lithuania had urged Taiwan to change the office’s name, arguing that this would harm the country. Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemuno Aušra party, proposed setting up a parliamentary commission to investigate the alleged pressure.