ISTANBUL

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said Wednesday that they could rename Taiwan’s representative office in Vilnius as "Taipei" following a rift in relations with China.

"I don’t see any reasons why, for example, it could not be called the Taipei Representative Office. That would not deny our support for democratic processes," Ruginiene told reporters, according to the broadcaster LRT.

She noted that she does not see a "major problem" with renaming the office, highlighting that such a decision should be coordinated with strategic partners. "But the fact that we rushed is a fact," she added.

Last week, Ruginiene told Baltic News Service that Lithuania had “jumped in front of a train and lost” by allowing the office to open under the name “Taiwanese Representative Office” in 2021 without coordinating with the EU and the US.

"It was not the opening of the office, because other EU countries have done that as well. But standing out from the context, knowing that the name would cause consequences, was a hasty step that I think we could correct it," she also noted.

Her remarks came in reference to Lithuania allowing Taiwan to open a “Taiwanese Representative Office” in Vilnius in 2021.

The move angered Beijing, which retaliated by scaling down diplomatic ties with the Baltic nation.

In 2022, Lithuania opened its representative office in Taipei.

China claims Taiwan as its “breakaway province,” while Taipei has insisted on its independence since 1949, enjoying full diplomatic relations with at least 12 countries.