By Huang Ching-hsuan
and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with staff writer
and CNA
Taiwan and Lithuania are indispensable partners, as both are democracies at the front line against authoritarian threats, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a dinner ceremony in Lithuania on Wednesday.
The dinner marked the third anniversary of the establishment of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, with Lithuanian Member of Parliament Matas Maldeikis handing his post as head of the Lithuania-Taiwan friendship group to Lithuanian Parliamentarian Ruslanas Baranovas.
Lin said in his address that Taiwan-Lithuania relations have rapidly developed since the office was established in Vilnius in 2021, laying solid foundations for trade and collaborations in semiconductors, ultra-fast lasers, biotechnology, renewable energy and other fields.
Photo from Lin Chia-lung’s Facebook
With 19 Taiwanese drone manufacturers accompanying him to Lithuania, he expected to expand the partnership to other fields to work toward the common goal of promoting peace and prosperity, he said.
Taiwan and Lithuania are on a geopolitical front line against authoritarian regimes, China and Russia, and should work together against authoritarian expansion to defend democracy, Lin said.
Taiwan is a reliable partner for democratic countries, especially when constructing global democratic supply chains, as it has a free market economy and cutting-edge technology, competitive edges that have made it a crucial contributor to the global economy, he said.
“Taiwan needs the world, and the world needs Taiwan,” Lin said.
He also thanked Lithuanian members of parliament for their support for Taiwan.
On Tuesday, Taiwan and Latvia signed a memorandum of understanding on drone collaboration during the first visit by a Taiwanese drone industry delegation to the Baltic country.
The agreement was signed in Riga, Latvia’s capital, by Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (漢翔航空) chairman Hu Kai-hung (胡開宏), who led the Taiwanese delegation, and a representative from the Latvian Federation of Defense and Security Industries, a statement issued yesterday by the Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia said.
The 47-member Taiwanese delegation, comprising representatives from 16 domestic drone companies, related industries and government officials, is the largest trade group from Taiwan to Latvia.
They were joined by more than 120 counterparts from Latvia and Estonia, including Estonian parliamentarians Kristo Enn Vaga, Kalle Laanet and Juri Jaanson.
At the signing ceremony, Representative to Latvia Andrew Lee (李憲章) said Taiwan is a reliable partner to Latvia and Estonia, citing its advanced technology in information and communications as well as semiconductors.
Speaking at a banquet on Tuesday, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), convener of the Foreign and National Defense Committee, cited the shared democratic values of Taiwan and the Baltic countries.
He said that both regions face threats from authoritarian powers, Taiwan from China and the Baltic states from Russia, and called for strengthened cooperation to build more resilient industrial supply chains and reduce reliance on totalitarian regimes.
During the event, Vaga, chair of Estonia’s parliamentary Taiwan support group, and Janis Vucans, former chair of Latvia’s parliamentary Taiwan support group, reiterated their support for Taiwan.
They pledged to continue advancing trade, industrial cooperation and international ties with Taiwan.