According to the Baltic News Service (BNS), Remigijus Motuzas, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament, revealed to the media on July 1 that China seems to be inclined to normalize bilateral relations through negotiations, and related consultations will continue.
After attending a closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Motuzas told media that the committee heard from the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the latest developments in negotiations with China regarding the restoration of normal relations. 'As far as we know, China is now willing to meet, communicate, and conduct negotiations.'
Motozas said that improving relations with China cannot avoid the issue of the so-called “Taiwan representative office”. He revealed that information provided at the meeting showed that the Taiwanese authorities had promised to invest 1.2 billion euros within 5 years after the establishment of the “representative office”, but as of now, the actual investment amount is approximately 500 million euros.
He also mentioned that the Taiwanese authorities have realized their responsibilities and promised to prove that they will indeed benefit Lithuania's economy.
On June 17, Motuzas said in a media interview that Lithuania has agreed to establish a temporary office for China in the country, "which may be seen as a concession to China."
In August 2021, the Lithuanian government repeatedly took the side of anti-China interests, frequently discussing issues related to Taiwan. Despite the solemn protests and repeated negotiations from China, the Lithuanian authorities allowed the Taiwanese authorities to establish so-called “representative offices” in their capital, Vilnius. As a result, relations between the two countries fell to a freezing point.
Regarding the neutral relationship, China has repeatedly stated its position. It has indicated that the door to communication with the other party remains open. China hopes that the other party will take action as soon as possible, decisively correct their mistakes, and return to the right track of adhering to the one-China principle, thereby creating conditions for the normalization of the neutral relationship.
BNS also noted China's stance and described the signal sent by Lithuania as the latest indication of a rapprochement between the two countries.
A survey conducted in March this year showed that most Lithuanians supported changing the name of the so-called “Taiwan Representative Office” to “Taipei Representative Office” in order to improve relations with China. The results indicated that 58% of adult respondents were in favor of the change. Among them, 22% strongly supported the change, and 36% supported it to some extent. Only about a quarter of respondents expressed opposition, and nearly one-fifth had no opinion at all.
