TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Lithuanian delegation headed by Economy and Innovation Vice Minister Karolis Zemaitis arrived in Taiwan on Saturday (Sept. 10) and began a five-day itinerary of meeting officials and visiting businesses on Monday (Sept. 12).
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) has planned a banquet to welcome Zemaitis and company. The delegation will meet officials from the National Development Council and Ministry of Economic Affairs and tour laser- and biotechnology-related entities to explore opportunities for partnerships.
Zemaitis’ visit comes after former Lithuanian Economy and Innovation Vice Minister Jovita Neliupsiene’s visit on June 12, Agricultural Vice Minister Egidijus Giedraitis’s visit on June 22, and Transport and Communications Vice Minister Agne Vaiciukeviciute’s visit on Aug. 7. The frequent official interactions between the governments of Lithuania and Taiwan reflect a relationship that has been warming between the two countries since 2020.
As tensions rise across the Taiwan Strait and China’s military threats have intensified in the past weeks, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis voiced support for Taiwan in an article published in The Telegraph. “There is a temptation to close the eyes to blatant threats to snuff out one of the most vibrant free societies and progressive democracies in Taiwan,” he wrote. “Can 23 million people, and their aspirations to live in a free democratic society, be considered expendable in order to appease China?”
By using Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an example, Gabrielius emphasized that appeasing authoritarian regimes does not lead to peace. He wrote that China has been using its trade war with Lithuania to gauge the European Union’s, as well as the West's, reaction.
“We need a global order where smaller democracies such as Ukraine, Taiwan, or Lithuania are not expendable. To prevent this, we must send a loud and clear signal now: the free world cannot and will not allow Taiwan to become a second Ukraine,” he concluded.
