TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The name of Taiwan’s representative office in Lithuania was the result of a bilateral consensus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) pointed out Wednesday (May 8), after the Baltic nation’s president suggested a name change if he won re-election.

President Gitanas Nauseda, a candidate in the May 12 election, said the name of Taiwan’s office should be changed to stabilize relations with China, Lithuania’s LRT reported. After the “Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania” opened in November 2021, China downgraded diplomatic relations and introduced sanctions against imports from the Baltic country.

Reacting to Nauseda’s comments, MOFA said Wednesday the name had been chosen following a careful negotiation process between the two countries, per CNA. The ministry added it respected the views of all sides in the election campaign, as was the practice in a democratic nation.

MOFA emphasized Taiwan wanted to intensify friendship and cooperation between the two democracies. There were active partnerships in the fields of semiconductors, lasers, finance, healthcare, and agriculture, MOFA said.

One of the other presidential candidates, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, described any attempts to change the office’s name as “unwise and useless.” It would damage Lithuania’s reputation in the eyes of other democracies, she said.

As China had initiated the trade sanctions against Lithuania, it was up to Beijing to normalize relations, according to Simonyte. She also noted that China featured on the list of nations threatening Lithuania’s national security.