Taiwan has opened a de facto embassy in Lithuania, using the name Taiwan for the first time in a European diplomatic outpost in 18 years, defying strong opposition from Beijing. The move has drawn fierce condemnation from China, which described it as an 'extremely egregious act' and warned of consequences.
The office in Vilnius is a significant diplomatic breakthrough for the self-ruled island, which has only 15 formal diplomatic allies worldwide. Other Taiwanese representative offices in Europe and the US typically use the name of the capital Taipei to avoid direct reference to the island, which China claims as its own territory.
Lithuania agreed in July to allow the office to use the Taiwan name, prompting China to withdraw its ambassador and demand Lithuania do the same. Beijing has also expressed anger over Lithuania's plan to open its own representative office in Taiwan, though no date has been set.
Eric Huang, the head of the new office and previously Taipei's chief of mission in Latvia, said the use of the Taiwan name was 'very meaningful' and that his focus would be on promoting substantive relations rather than geopolitical context. Taiwan's foreign ministry said the office would 'charter a new and promising course' for bilateral ties, with potential cooperation in semiconductors, lasers and fintech.
The opening is the latest sign of closer relations between some Baltic and central European countries and Taiwan, despite Chinese pressure. The dispute has drawn in the United States, which has offered support to Lithuania against Chinese coercion.
