Taiwan's parlt speaker vows to press his government on investment in Lithuania

VILNIUS – You Si-kun, speaker of Taiwan's parliament, said in Vilnius on Friday that he would press his government on Taipei's promised investment in Lithuania.

"Basically, the parliament will push the executive branch of the government to implement those investments and trade initiatives," he told reporters at the Lithuanian parliament. 

You Si-kun added that the six memorandums of understanding signed between Lithuania and Taiwan last year were being implemented.

Earlier this year, Taipei said it would offer a 1-billion-US-dollar credit fund for Lithuanian-Taiwanese joint business projects and promised to set up a 200-million-dollar fund for investment in Lithuania's industrial sector.

It was announced in early May that the latter fund would be for investment in Central and Eastern European countries.  

The speaker of Taiwan's parliament said on Friday that he had thanked Lithuanian MPs for the warm welcome in Vilnius, adding that this meant that relations between Taiwan and Lithuania "move forward".

When asked if he meant only economic and cultural ties or also political ones, he said this was "comprehensive". 

Vilnius and Taipei say they are developing economic and cultural ties and do not have formal diplomatic relations.

CHINA'S CRITICISM 

You Si-kun came to Vilnius after his visit to the Czech Republic. Beijing said his meetings in Prague violated the "one China" policy.

The Chinese embassy in Prague called You Si-kun "a staunch separatist" and accused Prague of "seriously violating the state sovereignty and territorial unity of China".

While Taiwan's parliamentary speaker was still meeting with members of the Lithuanian parliament, the Chinese diplomatic mission in Vilnius issued a similar comment. 

The statement says that his visit "seriously violates China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, grossly interferes in China's internal affairs, and recklessly tramples on international law and basic norms governing international relations".

"China expresses its strong protest over and firm objection to this," the Office of the Chargé d'Affaires said. 

"China urges Lithuania (...) to abide by the political commitment of the one-China principle, not to send a wrong signal to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces, and stop adding new difficulties and obstacles to the bilateral relationship between China and Lithuania."

"Seeking Taiwan independence leads to nowhere, so does supporting it," it added. 

'TAIWAN'S INITIATIVE' 

Radvile Morkunaite-Mikuleniene, vice-speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, said after meeting with the Taiwanese delegation that both sides had underlined the importance of cooperation "between democracies, between those who are guided by democratic values in this turbulent world".

The MP said that Beijing's policy and comments were not surprising, but stressed that Lithuania respected the "one-China" principle.

When asked at whose initiative the meeting of the delegations had been held, she said, "at the initiative of the Taiwanese side".

You Si-kun said he was used to China's criticism, adding that it would be more surprising if there were none.

The Taiwanese Representative Office was opened in Vilnius last fall amid deepening ties between Lithuania and Taiwan.

Beijing, which regards Taiwan as an indivisible part of China, saw the opening of the office with the word "Taiwanese", rather than "Taipei's", in its name as an attempt by the island to act as an independent state. 

Following the opening of the office, Beijing downgraded diplomatic ties with Vilnius and imposed trade restrictions, prompting the European Union to file a case against China at the World Trade Organization. 

Lithuania is planning to open its representative office in Taipei this year.