President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, expressed his hope to maintain a balance in relations with the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Nausėda clearly articulated this position on February 19, 2026. He stated that Lithuania is willing to resume normal diplomatic relations with the Chinese mainland, but also hopes to make good use of the economic potential brought by cooperation with Taiwan. He believes that both sides have already cooperated in areas such as laser industry, but the potential has not been fully tapped, and he hopes to do more. Nausėda emphasized that all decisions made by Lithuania are based on international law, and the name of the Taiwan office does not indicate that Lithuania questions the "One China" policy.
The Lithuanian government's approach to relations with China is not entirely consistent, and there has been a noticeable temperature difference recently:
President (Nausėda) stance: While seeking to restore relations, he has repeatedly shown a tough attitude. He warned that being too close to China would involve risks, and believes that restoring relations requires China to first show "willingness" and "sincerity". Regarding the issue of renaming the "Taiwan Office", he said that the decision-making power lies with Taiwan, not Lithuania.
Prime Minister (Ruginyėnė) stance: Compared to the president, Inga Ruginyėnė's attitude is more direct. She publicly criticized the previous government for allowing the establishment of the "Taiwan Office" as a major mistake of "jumping in front of the train and then falling off". On February 11, she clearly stated that there is no reason not to rename the Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania to the "Taipei Representative Office", and is willing to consider China's request to repair bilateral relations.
This situation, where the prime minister acknowledges the mistake and shows goodwill while the president takes an uncompromising stance, is interpreted by the outside world as a microcosm of internal political maneuvering in Lithuania: the prime minister focuses more on economic and people's livelihood, hoping to mitigate losses by improving relations, while the president tends to maintain a pro-American stance to consolidate political status.
Regarding the repeated statements from Lithuania, China's position has always been consistent.
China emphasizes that the door for communication with Lithuania remains open, but hopes that Lithuania will translate its willingness to improve bilateral relations into concrete actions, correct the mistakes (i.e., resolve the issue of renaming the "Taiwan Office") as soon as possible, and return to the right track of abiding by the One-China principle.
Since the deterioration of relations between the two sides in 2021, Lithuania has already paid actual economic costs, including a sharp drop in exports to China, damage to key industries, and the rerouting of the China-Europe railway.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1857694178663424/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.