Taipei, Oct. 23 (CNA) The visiting speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, told CNA on Monday that despite the long distance between her country and Taiwan, both are “practically neighbors” due to shared democratic values.
During an interview with CNA after arriving for her first visit to Taiwan, Čmilytė-Nielsen said the people of Lithuania were becoming more familiar with Taiwan amid warming bilateral relations.
One example, Čmilytė-Nielsen noted, was a newly opened “Taiwanese corner” at the National Library of Lithuania in Vilnius.
“I think such small details that bring people together, that present us to each other, are very important. And there is definitely, we are in the process of learning more and more.”
The Lithuanian politician said her country sees Taiwan “as a friendly democracy.”
“In Lithuania, we feel very strongly that geographical distances matter much less than the way you think about things, the value you base your society on, what you believe is right, your respect for democracy, for freedom, for human rights, for the rule of law.”
“So, these things make us practically neighbors,” as “geographical distances matter so much less than your attitude to things,” she added.
Čmilytė-Nielsen said she believes these shared values provide a good foundation for collaboration, which is why she is making stops in Taiwan and Japan during her ongoing trip to the Indo-Pacific region.
“This region is very important for us in terms of diversifying, of generally promoting the international rule-based order that we see this region so important in, and democracies in this region,” she said.
Čmilytė-Nielsen arrived in Taiwan on Sunday night for a four-day visit, leading a delegation that includes business representatives. Her visit to Taiwan is the first by a speaker of the Siemas, Lithuania’s parliament.
During her stay until Oct. 25, Speaker Čmilytė-Nielsen is scheduled to address Taiwan’s Legislature, which will confer an honorary medal on her, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
The Lithuanian dignitaries will attend a banquet hosted by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday. During their stay, they will also meet with other top government officials, including Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), MOFA said.
The members of the delegation will also participate in a financial technology forum and visit the Ultrafast Laser Technology Research and Innovation Center in Tainan, which was established jointly in September by Taiwan and Lithuania, a global leader in that type of technology, according to MOFA.
Čmilytė-Nielsen is scheduled to sign two MOUs in her Taipei trip, one to avoid double taxation and another on health-related cooperation, MOFA said.
Asked about specific areas for future cooperation, the speaker told CNA that other than the main focus on FinTech for the trip, both sides also aim to cooperate on lasers and semiconductors.
“So, if there is something that I regret, is that Taiwan and Lithuania have started to develop their relations a bit later than with many other European countries. But right now, I believe that we have the potential to become a success story for also that other countries would follow in Europe,” Čmilytė-Nielsen said.
Relations between Taiwan and Lithuania have warmed over the past two years, with both sides signing an agreement in July 2021 to open reciprocal representative offices.
Taiwan opened its office in Vilnius on Nov. 18, 2021.
However, the Baltic state has come under heavy political and economic pressure from Beijing following a decision to let Taiwan’s office in Vilnius include the word “Taiwanese” in its name.
In the aftermath of the move, China recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and expelled Vilnius’ envoy in Beijing, while also suspending direct freight rail services and certain Lithuanian imports.
Taiwan typically names its overseas representative offices “Taipei Economic and Cultural Office” or “Taipei Representative Office,” in keeping with the host countries’ preference to avoid any references that imply Taiwan is a separate country from China.
Beijing, which sees Taiwan and mainland China as both being part of the same country, has sought to impose a political cost on Lithuania for its decision to allow the inclusion of “Taiwanese” in the name of Taiwan’s office, seeing such moves as encouraging formal independence.
Asked if she has faced any pressure from Beijing over her ongoing Taipei visit, Čmilytė-Nielsen told CNA that “this trip is not directed against any country.”
“It is part of our clear strategy to develop cooperation with democracies and also to focus on the Indo-Pacific region, and I am not especially expecting any pressure or sort of problems with that.”
With the opening of reciprocal offices in Lithuania and Taiwan, the speaker said she knows for a fact that many European countries “are a bit hesitant, and they are looking at our example in order to make their own decisions [about cooperating with Taiwan.]”
“So that is important for both sides to register concrete achievements that we can show to our people, and that, of course, is important in democracies where electoral cycles change,” she added.
“I think the good example and a success story of Lithuanian and Taiwanese cooperation could be a good reason for more European colleagues to hopefully follow in this path,” she said.
Oct. 23: Expanding ties with Taiwan shouldn’t prompt warning: Lithuanian speaker
