Lithuania’s Taipei office to open in autumnReuters, TAIPEILithuania plans to open a representative office in Taiwan in September, one of its deputy ministers said yesterday, part of a bolstering of ties with the nation that has infuriated China and led to exports falling to almost zero. Lithuania has come under sustained pressure from China to reverse a decision last year to allow Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in the capital, Vilnius, under its own name. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TimesSpeaking to reporters in Taipei, Lithuanian Vice Minister of the Economy and Innovation Jovita Neliupsiene said Lithuania hoped its reciprocal office in Taiwan would open “as of September,” adding that she had scouted out some locations during her visit. China had been an important export partner, but Lithuania’s exports to China in the first quarter had fallen to “close to zero,” compared with last year, Neliupsiene said. The Lithuanian government is accepting applications for the first head of the Lithuanian trade office in Taiwan, she told a news conference in Taipei as she wrapped up the delegation’s four-day visit.
