An article published Aug. 8 in U.K.-based daily The Telegraph by Lithuania Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis voicing support for Taiwan is sincerely appreciated by the government and people, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Headlined “The Free World Can’t Allow Taiwan to Become a Second Ukraine,” the article said U.S. speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan should not be an excuse for China to conduct live-fire exercises and naval maneuvers near Taiwan.
The 23 million people of Taiwan and their choice to live in a free democratic society should not be sacrificed, Landsbergis said, adding that he hopes many more defenders of freedom and democracy will follow Pelosi.
According to Landsbergis, China has been conducting a trade war with Lithuania ever since it became the first EU member to open a Taiwanese representative office under the name Taiwan in 2021. It was a litmus test for the EU and the West at large, he said.
Landsbergis said there is a need to restore a global order where smaller democracies such as Lithuania, Taiwan and Ukraine are not expendable, adding that a clear signal should be sent to show that the free world cannot and will not allow Taiwan to become a second Ukraine.
The article follows a joint statement by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi during the U.S.-Australia-Japan Trilateral Strategic Dialogue held on the sidelines of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Aug. 5 in Phnom Penh.
The statement reaffirmed the three countries’ commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, expressed concern about China’s recent large-scale exercises gravely affecting international peace and stability, condemned the launch of ballistic missiles and urged Beijing to immediately cease military exercises.
In a tweet on its official Twitter account, the MOFA said “.@GLandsbergis urges the free world to #StandWithTaiwan as #China threatens #IndoPacific peace & stability with live-fire drills in response to
@SpeakerPelosi’s #Taiwan visit. We thank #Lithuania’s’s foreign minister for his friendship, care & concern.” (SFC-E)
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