Taiwan office name ‘grave diplomatic mistake’: incoming Lithuanian PM
Taiwan office name ‘grave diplomatic mistake’: incoming Lithuanian PM
2024-11-07
Taiwan and Lithuania have in recent years had increasingly friendly relations, but things could be about to change. The Baltic country held parliamentary elections last month, resulting in a new prime minister, Gintautas Paluckas. In a recent interview, the politician said that letting Taiwan set up a representative office in the country under its own name had been a “grave diplomatic mistake.” Let’s hear a response from Taiwan’s foreign minister.
Lin Chia-lung
Foreign minister
Both our governments had reached a consensus to name the representative office that way. Of course, now we will work hard to preserve it. He also stated that Lithuania is a sovereign country. So that doesn’t mean things will necessarily change due to pressure from external forces. Taiwan-Lithuania-China relations are not a zero-sum game. Lithuania’s relations with China and with Taiwan can both progress at the same time.
Chen Shih-min
NTU Political Science
After the Taiwanese mission was established, China recalled its ambassador to Lithuania, and they haven’t returned. China also engaged in economic coercion, which may have made Lithuania feel that it is alone in bearing this huge pressure from China. Taiwan should band together with more countries to try to break through this predicament.
Political scientist Chen Shih-min says that China will likely ramp up its political pressure in Taiwan during the transition of power in the US. And Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts aren’t just facing challenges in Europe. South Africa had recently ordered Taiwan to relocate its representative office out of the capital Pretoria by the end of October. For now, the office remains in the capital, and the two sides have agreed to hold negotiations on the matter.
For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53
台駐立陶宛代表處恐改名 林佳龍:立台中三邊非零和
2024-11-07
和台灣友好的中歐國家"立陶宛"，日前完成國會大選，準總理帕魯克斯受訪提到，立陶宛開設台灣代表處，是"外交錯誤"。對此，外交部長林佳龍表示會努力維護。
[[外交部長 林佳龍]]
“代表處的名稱，是雙方政府當時達成的共識啦，我們當然會努力去維護它。他(立陶宛準總理)也有提到說，其實立陶宛是一個主權國家，其實也不是說在外力下壓迫，它就一定就會改變。而立台中三邊的關係不是零和的，立中跟立台關係是兩件事情，是可以同步來發展。”
[[台大政治學系副教授 陳世民]]
“台灣代表處設置以後，那中國把他的大使召回，到現在都還沒有回去，中國也進行一個經濟的脅迫，可能就會讓立陶宛覺得似乎要單獨去承受，這麼大來自中國的壓力，(台灣)應該是要聯合比較多的一些國家，共同來突破(困境)。”
學者陳世民示警，時值美國權力交接的過渡期，不排除中國會加大對台灣的外交打壓。不只台立關係，面臨考驗，前不久，南非政府，也要求我國把駐處搬離首都，在我國極力溝通下，終於表示願意磋商。
更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00
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