Taiwan Does Not Oppose Lithuania Restoring Ties with China: FM.

Taipei: Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung on Thursday stated that the government does not oppose the incoming Lithuanian government restoring relations with China, emphasizing that Beijing-Taipei-Vilnius relations are not a "zero-sum game." According to Focus Taiwan, Lin made these remarks during a legislative session when questioned about comments from the incoming Lithuanian prime minister, Gintautas Paluckas, who expressed a desire to restore full diplomatic relations with China. The diplomatic rift between Lithuania and China began in 2021 after "Taiwanese" was included in the name of Taiwan's representative office in Vilnius, leading to China downgrading diplomatic ties and imposing trade restrictions. When asked if the name of the Taipei office might be changed by the incoming Lithuanian government, Lin assured opposition Kuomintang Legislator Huang Jen that the office's name had been mutually agreed upon by both governments. He added that any changes would require bilateral discussions. Lin fu rther clarified, "We do not oppose Lithuania's desire to normalize relations with China, but doing so does not mean the Baltic state cannot maintain its relationship with Taiwan." He reiterated that Taiwan-China-Lithuania trilateral relations are not a zero-sum game, highlighting that Lithuania, as a sovereign state, can choose to engage with both China and Taiwan as it sees fit. An English-language report from Lithuanian National Radio and Television on October 31 quoted Paluckas describing the representative office's name as a "grave diplomatic mistake." However, Paluckas did not specify whether he would request Taipei to change the name if Beijing insisted.