Political Relations

Lithuania and Taiwan are both vibrant democracies with strong, dynamic market economies, as illustrated by the two graphs below. They share common values, including a commitment to political freedom, human rights, and free trade. However, political ties between the two countries are relatively recent, despite the Republic of China recognizing Lithuania as early as 1923. Due to significant historical factors, including World War II and the Cold War, Lithuania and the Republic of China did not sign any treaties and had very limited interaction, as previously discussed in the section on people-to-people relations. It is important to note that Taiwan never recognized the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States and was a prominent voice against communism globally. This stance inspired activists in the Lithuanian diaspora to establish connections with like-minded Taiwanese counterparts.

With Lithuania’s successful regaining of independence in the early 1990s, the two nations began actively strengthening their ties and fostering cooperation. Through high-level visits, inter-parliamentary collaboration, and participation in multilateral forums, Lithuania and Taiwan have continuously explored new avenues for partnership, emphasizing the importance of solidarity among like-minded democracies in navigating the challenges posed by the global political landscape.

The Early Years

The shared motivation to enhance cooperation dates back to the early 1990s. One year after Lithuania regained its independence, Vytenis Aleškaitis, Lithuania’s Minister of International Economic Relations, and Taiwan’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chiang Hsiao-yen, signed the first cooperation treaty between the two countries – The Establishment of Mutual Organizations of the Trade Missions Agreement (November 7, 1991). However, for various reasons, this agreement was not fully realized at the time. Momentum continued in August 1992, when former Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius visited Taiwan to explore deeper bilateral cooperation opportunities. Around the same period, favorable views toward Taiwan were expressed by Vytautas Landsbergis, Lithuania’s first Head of State. This was followed by former Prime Minister Kazimiera Prunskienė’s participation in the World Women’s Summit in Taiwan in August 1993. Taiwan reciprocated by sending a delegation to Lithuania in November 1996, led by Wang Jin-pyng, Vice President of the Legislative Yuan, who met with Gediminas Vagnorius shortly before he was reappointed Prime Minister. Lithuania furthered these exchanges by dispatching Minister for European Affairs Laima Andrikienė to Taiwan, where she met with Prime Minister Lien Chan, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Chien-jen, and other officials.

These interactions led to the formation of parliamentary associations in both countries. In 1997, 14 members of Lithuania’s Seimas established the Parliamentary Group for Relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan). Similarly, on April 14 of the same year, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan (the Taiwanese Parliament) established the Baltic States Friendship Group and organized a large delegation of over 80 representatives to visit Lithuania in July. The continuous cooperation between these two parliamentary associations has fostered not only inter-parliamentary understanding but also a broad exchange of views in areas such as politics, science, economics, and culture. As a result, on October 9, 2020 – 23 years after the establishment of these two associations – the Lithuania-Taiwan Forum was launched in Vilnius. Its members include a broad spectrum of individuals from both societies, including intellectuals, artists, politicians, journalists, and entrepreneurs.

Parliamentary Group for Relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan)

The Parliamentary Group for Relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Lithuania’s Seimas has been active since 1997. Below is a list of parliamentarians who have led the group over the years:

1997–2000: Saulius Pečeliūnas
2000–2004: Aloyzas Sakalas
2004–2008: Gintaras Steponavičius
2008–2012: Algis Kašėta
2012–2016: Gintaras Steponavičius
2016–2020: Gintaras Steponavičius
2020–2024: Matas Maldeikis

Despite numerous visits, the number of formal agreements between Lithuania and Taiwan has remained relatively low. Although both sides considered treaties on double taxation and the mutual encouragement and protection of investments, these agreements, which were planned for signing in 1997, were never concluded. Similarly, no trade or representative offices were opened, despite discussions to do so in the latter half of 1997. On the other hand, the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in technological exchanges, academic research, and the establishment of sister-city ties (the first of which was between Taipei and Vilnius, signed on May 29, 1998). As a result, both countries ended the 1990s and entered the new century with some hope but also mixed feelings regarding the potential for deeper cooperation.

Below is a timeline of major political exchanges during the first three decades:

New Dynamics in the Recent Years

Although both countries expressed interest in strengthening their bilateral relationship, the intensity of their interactions remained relatively low until the late 2010s (particularly between 2003 and 2007, as indicated in the table below). During this period, all Taiwanese affairs related to Lithuania were managed by the Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia. Additionally, Taiwan’s economic affairs with Lithuania were handled by the Taipei Representative Offices in Poland and Finland, while media affairs were overseen by the Taipei Mission in Sweden. However, through efforts in “track 1.5” channels like the Lithuania-Taiwan Forum, relations between the two countries gradually improved, especially at the inter-parliamentary level.

A new impetus in Lithuania-Taiwan relations can be traced back to October 2018, when Lithuanian parliament members Mantas Adomėnas and Aušra Maldeikienė organized a press conference calling for closer cooperation with Taiwan, including the establishment of representative offices and support for Taiwan’s international representation. This was followed by more than half of the Lithuanian parliament, including Minister of Healthcare Aurelijus Veryga, signing an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) in April 2019, urging Taiwan’s participation in its annual meeting. The letter was initiated by parliamentarians Mantas Adomėnas and Gintaras Steponavičius. This call became even more relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic that began the following year.

After the Lithuanian parliamentary elections in the autumn of 2020, the new government coalition led by the Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives) adopted a more proactive stance on relations with Taiwan, reflecting a broader trend of supporting democratic values and countering authoritarian influence. With the formation of Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s cabinet in December 2020, previously stated policy ideas began to materialize. A key expression of Lithuania’s commitment to closer ties was the decision to send 20,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan in July 2020, followed by an additional shipment of ten times that amount in September of the same year.

A major turning point in Taiwan-Lithuania relations came with the opening of Taiwan’s first representative office in Europe named after Taiwan – the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania – established in Vilnius on November 18, 2021. Since then, the two countries’ relationship has rapidly developed, partly driven by the increasing geopolitical threats posed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and growing tensions across the Taiwan Strait. In the same year, the two countries signed six cooperation memorandums covering areas such as semiconductor industry education, laser and crystal technology, satellite technology, semiconductor development, biotechnology, and business and financial cooperation.

From 2021 to 2024, Lithuania and Taiwan engaged in numerous high-level visits. Key figures from Taiwan included Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Minister of the National Development Council Kung Ming-hsin, and Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang. From Lithuania’s side, prominent visitors included former President Dalia Grybauskaitė, Speaker of Parliament Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Vice-Minister of Economy and Innovation Jovita Neliupšienė, and Vice-Minister of Agriculture Egidijus Giedraitis.

Please see the table below for a more extensive list of visits.

List of bilateral visits between Lithuania and Taiwan

Year	Taiwanese politicians visiting Lithuania	Lithuanian politicians visiting Taiwan
1991	章孝嚴 (Chiang Hsiao-yen)
1992		Gediminas Vagnorius
1993		Kazimiera Prunskienė
1994
1995		Kazimiera Prunskienė
1996	王金平 (Wang Jin-pyng)	Bronislovas Lubys
1997	程建人 (Chen Chien-jen)	Algirdas Šemeta, Laima Liucija Andrikenė, Juozas Galdikas
1998	陳長川 (Chen Changchuan), 黃鎮台 (Huang Zhentai), 陳瑞隆 (Chen Ruilong)	Juozas Olekas, Saulius Pečeliūnas, Rasa Rastauskienė
1999		Kornelijus Platelis, Audronius Ažubalis, Kazys Bobelis, Mindaugas Končius, Aloyzas Sakalas
2000
2001	陳學聖 (Chen Shei-saint), 吳碧珠 (Wu Pi-chu), 歐晉德 (Ou Chin-der)	Aloyzas Sakalas, Romanas Algimantas Sedlickas, Valerijus Simulikas, Raimondas Šukys
2002	陳學聖 (Chen Shei-saint), 吳碧珠 (Wu Pi-chu), 歐晉德 (Ou Chin-der)
2003
2004
2005		Edmundas Pupinis, Vydas Gedvilas
2006		Irena Šiaulienė, Raimundas Palaitis, Gintaras Steponavičius, Vida Marija Čigriejienė, Artūras Paulauskas, Ona Valiukevičiūtė
2007		Antanas Matulas, Vilija Vertelienė, Marija Aušrinė Pavilionienė
2008		Virginija Budienė, Rimantas Bašys, Algis Kašėta, Saulius Pečeliūnas, Valerijus Simulik
2009		Aloyzas Sakalas, Eugenijus Maldeikis, Egidijus Vareikis, Kęstutis Masiulis, Dalia Kuodytė, Nerija Putinaitė
2010		Laima Liucija Andrikenė, Virginija Baltraitienė, Mantas Adomėnas, Gediminas Navaitis
2011		Valdas Adamkus, Vytautas Landsbergis, Algis Kašėta, Danutė Bekintienė, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, Artūras Melianas
2012	林郁方 (Lin Yufang), 陳唐山 (Chen Tangshan), 陳鎮湘 (Chen Zhenxiang), 蔡煌瑯 (Cai Huanglang), 詹凱臣 (Zhan Kaichen) 林德福 (Lin Defu), 蔣乃辛 (Jiang Naixin)	Laima Liucija Andrikenė, Zigmantas Balčytis, Birutė Vėsaitė, Vida Marija Čigriejienė, Dalia Teišerskytė, Emanuelis Zingeris
2013		Gintaras Steponavičius, Dangutė Mikutienė, Antanas Matulas
2014	林一平 (Lin Yi-Bing), 卓士昭 (Cho Shih-chao)	Emanuelis Zingeris, Mantas Adomėnas
2015		Laima Liucija Andrikenė, Kazimieras Simonavičius, Arūnas Augustinaitis, Andrius Tekorius, Donatas Jankauskas, Algis Kašėta, Velerijus Simulik
2016	呂秀蓮 (Lu Hsiu-lien), 黃碧霞 (Huang Bixia), 陳明文 (Chen Mingwen), 陳亭妃 (Chen Tingfei), 鄭寶清 (Zheng Baoqing), 陳歐珀 (Chen Oupo), 劉櫂豪 (Liu Zhaohao), 莊瑞雄 (Zhuang Ruixiong), 王定宇 (Wang Dingyu), 蔡適應 (Cai Shiying), 蔡易餘 (Cai Yiyu), 江伯倫 (Jiang Bolun)	Valerijus Simulik, Mantas Adomėnas, Donatas Jankauskas, Orinta Leiputė, Emanuelis Zingeris
2017	許宗力 (Hsu Tzong-li)	Valerijus Simulik, Kazys Starkevičius, Rimantė Šalaševičiūtė, Aušra Papirtienė, Gintaras Vaičekauskas
2018		Gintaras Vaičekauskas, Kęstutis Masiulis, Aušra Maldeikienė
2019		Egidijus Vareikis, Žygimantas Pavilionis, Audronius Ažubalis, Aušrinė Armonaitė
2020		Egidijus Vareikis, Žygimantas Pavilionis, Audronius Ažubalis, Aušrinė Armonaitė
2021	陳建仁 (Chen Chien-jen), 龔明鑫 (Kung Ming-hsin), 吳政忠 (Wu Tsung-tsong), 阮清華 (Juan Ching-Hwa), 陳正祺 (Chen Zheng-qi)	Matas Maldeikis, Marius Matijošaitis, Dovilė Šakalienė, Lukas Savickas, Vytautas Gapšys, Rūta Miliūtė, Andrius Kubilius, Petras Auštrevičius
2022	陳正祺 (Chen Zheng-qi), 游錫堃 (You Si-kun), 陳玉珍 (Chen Yu Jen), 邱志偉 (Chiu Chih-wei), 林靜儀 (Lin Ching-yi), 曾厚仁 (Tseng Ho-jen), 劉孟奇 (Lio Mon-chi), 陳正祺 (Chen Zheng-qi), 林敏聰 (Lam Man-chung)	Kęstutis Navickas, Jovita Neliupšienė, Egidijus Giedraitis, Agnė Vaiciukevičiūtė, Karolis Žemaitis
2023	吳釗燮 (Joseph Wu Jaushieh), 唐鳳 (Audrey Tang), 王必勝 (Wang Pi-sheng), 李淳 (Roy Chun Lee)	Dalia Grybauskaitė, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Gintautas Jakštas, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Dovilė Šakalienė, Audronius Ažubalis, Eugenijus Sabutis, Edita Rudelienė, Ieva Pakarklytė, Paulius Lukauskas, Rasa Juknevičienė
2024	萧美琴 (Hsiao Bi-khim), 劉鏡清 (Liu Chin-ching)	Dalia Grybauskaitė, Matas Maldeikis, Vytautas Mitalas, Karolis Žemaitis, Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, Julius Sabatauskas, Arunas Valinskas, Tomas Raskevičius, Liudas Jonaitis, Ieva Kačinskaitė Urbonienė, Algirdas Sysas, Andrius Vyšniauskas, Dalia Asanavičiūtė, Paulius Lukauskas, Mantas Adomėnas

Representative Offices

The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania opened in central Vilnius on November 18, 2021, and quickly attracted attention due to the unprecedented use of the term “Taiwanese” in its title. The office represents Taiwan in Lithuania in various capacities, focusing on trade and investment promotion, networking, cultural exchange, public diplomacy, and providing support to Taiwanese citizens in Lithuania. The first head of the office was experienced diplomat Eric Huang, who served in this role until January 2024. He was succeeded by Constance Wang, who previously represented Taiwan in Australia.

A year later, on November 7, 2022, Lithuania officially inaugurated its own representative office in Taiwan, located in the Taipei World Trade Center. Paulius Lukauskas serves as the first head of the office, working to promote closer ties with Taiwan, particularly in the areas of economic and technological cooperation.

Sources:

• Yearbooks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of China
• Index of Economic Freedom by Heritage.org
• Democracy Index by Economist Intelligence Unit
• Newspaper “Darbininkas”, issue of October 4, 1991
• Czeslaw Tubilewicz, The Baltic States in Taiwan’s Post-Cold War ‘Flexible Diplomacy’. Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 54, No. 5 (Jul., 2002), pp. 791-810