Lithuania says Taiwan office name proposal was coordinated with US
Tuesday 10th November 2026 on 08:01 in
Lithuania
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief national security adviser says proposals to change the name of Taiwan’s representative office in Vilnius were discussed with the United States. Deividas Matulionis told Žinių radijas on Tuesday that he hoped for a more balanced response from Taiwan and expected the issue to be resolved this year, LRT reported.
Matulionis was responding to Taiwanese foreign ministry officials’ latest statement that Taiwan does not intend to change the name of its representative office in Lithuania. He said Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry was seeking a solution that would not come at the expense of relations with Taiwan.
The debate resurfaced after the Delfi news portal reported on Monday that Lithuania had proposed in September that Taiwan change the office’s name in exchange for several bilateral economic agreements and the creation of a special envoy position for Taiwan at the Foreign Ministry.
The Lithuanian government is seeking to restore diplomatic relations with China. Beijing considers the office’s current name a sign that Vilnius is helping Taiwan assert statehood, Matulionis said, adding that China regards the issue as a key obstacle to normalising relations.
“I can responsibly say that this was discussed with US officials,” Matulionis said. He stressed that the decision was Lithuania’s own, rather than a matter of whether the United States approved it.
Asked whether Lithuania might close the office if Taiwan refuses to change its name, Matulionis said he did not want to consider that possibility, as all diplomatic options had not yet been exhausted. He said Lithuania did not intend to change its policy towards either China or Taiwan.
Matulionis said restoring diplomatic ties with China was included in the government’s programme and was connected to Lithuania’s security interests and its upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins in January. He also said Lithuania had committed to a one-China policy in 1991 and should focus its defence and deterrence efforts on the direct threat posed by Russia.
Tags: Lithuania, Taiwan, China