Two years after Taiwan opened a representative office in Lithuania, officials from both sides have praised the progress in bilateral relations while analysts have pointed out the risks posed by domestic political shifts. High-value-added sectors such as technology and the promotion of democracy are at the forefront of the strengthened ties between the two countries.
In an interview with VOA, Tomas Janeliunas, a professor of international relations at Vilnius University, said that while the economic and trade exchanges between the two countries have made significant progress, there is a danger of political changes in Lithuania that could affect the relationship.
“Before the parliamentary elections in 2020, the current government declared that they would like to foster relationships with democracies around the world, including expanding the relationship with Taiwan,” he said.
In the two years since the Taiwanese representative office was opened, Taiwan and Lithuania have each opened trade offices in the other’s capital, and bilateral trade has grown by 50%. Additionally, Teltonika, one of Lithuania’s leading tech companies, signed an agreement with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to launch domestic semiconductor production in 2027, and Lithuanian companies involved in specialized laser technology agreed to set up the Ultrafast Laser Technology Research and Innovation Center in Southern Taiwan.
Deputy Economic Minister Karolis Zemaitis told VOA in an interview that the cooperation has been “fruitful” and has brought both sides some economic successes and benefits. He noted that the focus is on high-value-added sectors such as high-tech.
Eric Huang, Taiwan’s representative to Lithuania, said that the cooperation is based on values. “For example, [semiconductors] are such a sensitive area, I don’t think we will be able to implement cooperation without political trust,” he told VOA.
At the European level, Lithuania’s efforts to deepen ties with Taiwan have been a positive development as the European Union is planning to adopt an anti-coercion instrument that will help it deal with countries that try to influence EU policies by restricting trade.
Despite the optimism of Lithuanian and Taiwanese officials, there is still some skepticism about the potential and benefits of expanding ties with Taiwan within the Lithuanian government. Asta Skaisgirytė, the chief foreign policy adviser to President Gitanas Nausėda, told Lithuanian National Television and Radio in September that Taiwan has not delivered on the investment promises it made when it opened the representative office in Vilnius.
Analysts say Taiwan has not done a good job of delivering on its investment promises and that the appetite for investment in Lithuania is much bigger than what has been realized so far.
Marcin Jerzewski, an analyst of EU-Taiwan relations at the European Values Center for Security Policy, told VOA that there is also the risk of progress in the bilateral relationship between Taiwan and Lithuania being stalled by potential regime changes in Lithuania. He noted that the two parties that have shown the greatest hesitation toward deepening ties with Taiwan – the Social Democrats and Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Association – are the parties of choice in the presidential election scheduled for May 2024.
Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said last week that officials from Lithuania and China had been talking about potentially normalizing diplomatic relations after China downgraded diplomatic relations with Vilnius in 2021 following the opening of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania. Jerzewski said that China could make recalibration of Lithuania’s relationship with Taiwan as a condition for both sides to restore full diplomatic relations.
In conclusion, despite some skepticism from within the Lithuanian government and the potential risks posed by domestic political shifts, officials from both Taiwan and Lithuania have praised the progress in bilateral relations and are optimistic about the potential for further deepening ties. High-value-added sectors such as technology and the promotion of democracy remain at the forefront of the strengthened ties between the two countries.
