On Monday, the Lithuanian media reported that the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had demanded in September that Taiwan change the name of its representative office within a week. Lithuania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs later told the local media that this information had been inaccurately reported.
Hsiao Kuang-wei, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, declined to comment on the document mentioned in the reports or on related speculation during a press conference in Taipei on Tuesday.
He said the name of the representative office reflects both governments' shared commitment to democracy and freedom, as well as their aim to strengthen bilateral relations.
The spokesperson recalled the Lithuanian President's statement on 27 October that Lithuania’s efforts to normalise relations with China should not be directly linked to the representative office's name.
The spokesperson also quoted the Lithuanian Prime Minister’s remarks that relations with China could improve even without changing the name of the representative office.
Earlier on Tuesday, Taiwan’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Chen Ming-chi, stated that Taiwan had no intention of changing the name of the representative office. He added that the ministry would not comment on speculation based on misinformation.