Lithuania has applied to open a trade office in Taiwan, Taipei Times has reported.
The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry announced Lithuania’s application on March 26 and said it would provide the country with the necessary assistance in opening the representative office.
Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite said Lithuania was ready to open its office in Taiwan.
“We are fully ready to open a Lithuanian trade office,” Armonaite told the Taiwanese Central News Agency.
“I just sent a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan so that we could receive the official certificate to open it officially. But the preparatory works are already being conducted,” she added.
Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a representative office under its name in November last year. The move has angered China, which considers Taiwan to be part of its territory.
After the Taiwanese representation opened in Vilnius, Lithuania has initiated a process to open its office in Taiwan.
In September last year, the Lithuanian parliament Seimas passed a legislative amendment that allowed the opening of representative offices in countries like Taiwan, with which the country did not have formal diplomatic relations.
Once representative offices were established on both sides, Lithuania and Taiwan would step up cooperation in a wide range of fields, including trade, investment, education and scientific research, according to the Taiwanese foreign ministry. (LRT/Business World Magazine)
