A Formosa Club letter urging the presidents of the European Commission and Council to support the development of Taiwan-Lithuania ties is warmly welcomed by the government and people, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dec. 24.
Signed by the club’s co-chairs and members of the European Parliament and 24 national parliaments across Europe, the letter states their solidarity with Lithuania in the face of China’s intensifying campaign of political and economic coercion. It further states that since The Taiwanese Representative Office was established in Vilnius in November, Lithuanian exports have been blocked and diplomats have been forced to evacuate China.
The letter additionally expresses grave concerns about China’s overt attempts to disrupt supply chains in Europe. This is evidenced by the targeting of German companies, which are facing pressure to stop using Lithuania-made components or risk being shut out of the Chinese market, it added.
Describing Taiwan as a crucial like-minded and reliable partner of the EU in the Indo-Pacific, the letter urges the EU to take concrete action to support Lithuania while ensuring the rights of its member states to develop closer ties with Taiwan.
The letter follows a similar one signed by the club’s co-chairs and lawmakers Aug. 25 calling on the EU and NATO to take an active approach in supporting the Baltic state’s decision to strengthen economic and cultural relations with Taiwan.
According to the MOFA, Taiwan and Lithuania are like-minded partners, with both sides committed to deepening friendship and expanding exchange. The government will continue working with fellow forces for good in the world to jointly safeguard the rules-based international trade order, the ministry added.
In a tweet on its official Twitter account, the MOFA said: “Our gratitude to the co-chairs & members of the #FormosaClub in the @Europarl_EN & parliaments of #Europe for urging @EUCouncil’s @eucopresident & @EU_Commission’s @vonderleyen to spur #EU action supporting #Lithuania in the face of #China’s coercion. We’re #StrongerTogether!” (YCH-E)
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