Lithuanian Parliament Friendship Group Chairman, Baranovas, visited Taiwan leading a delegation to meet with Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China, Gu Li-hsiung on July 7th. Gu Li-hsiung expressed gratitude to Lithuania for its longstanding steadfast support for Taiwan’s democratic development and international participation, emphasizing the deepening of defense cooperation between Taiwan and Lithuania.
Gu Li-hsiung welcomed the visit of the Lithuanian Parliament Friendship Group led by Chairman Baranovas this morning, representing the Ministry of National Defense to sincerely welcome the delegation and thank Lithuania for its long-term solid support for Taiwan’s democratic development and international engagement, looking forward to further deepening bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields.
In his speech, Gu Li-hsiung stated that both Lithuania and Taiwan are countries facing threats from authoritarian neighbors, especially with the increasing projection of military power and ambitions by China and Russia. Both countries need to continue strengthening their self-defense capabilities to ensure sovereignty, security, and the well-being of their people.
Gu Li-hsiung pointed out that since 2022, Taiwan and Lithuania have had close exchanges and progress in areas such as cybersecurity, defense industry, mobilization mechanisms, and strategic communication under the strong support of both governments.
He emphasized, “Lithuania is a solid ally of our democratic principles. Besides openly expressing support for Taiwan on international platforms, Lithuania continues to emphasize the legitimate right of sovereign nations to choose their own paths and values, fully demonstrating a firm stance on freedom and democracy. Chairman Baranovas leads the Friendship Group in parliament, providing long-term support for Taiwan and playing a key role in promoting security cooperation between Taiwan and Lithuania, for which the Ministry of National Defense expresses profound gratitude.”
Finally, Gu Li-hsiung stated, “Facing the threat from China, our country will continue to strengthen defense capabilities, firmly defend the country and the people, and cooperate with Lithuania to promote defense cooperation, deepen democratic, freedom, human rights, and other shared values, enhance defense resilience, and work together to maintain regional peace and stability.”
In addition, Vice President of the Republic of China, Hsiao Mei-chin, met with the “Lithuanian Parliament Friendship Group” this morning and expressed that although Lithuania and Taiwan are located at opposite ends of the Earth, they share many similarities. Lithuania’s land area is nearly twice the size of Taiwan’s, and both countries are in extremely complex geopolitical environments, facing threats to their democratic systems from much larger neighboring countries through various hybrid means. Fortunately, there have been many opportunities in recent years to engage with Lithuania’s partners in exploring how to strengthen societal resilience and further enhance defense capabilities.
Hsiao Mei-chin pointed out that Lithuania was the first among NATO countries to commit to increasing defense spending, while Taiwan also finds itself in a very challenging geopolitical and security environment. President Lai has pledged to further enhance defense budgets and seek more creative and innovative ways to strengthen defense capabilities in asymmetric situations.
Hsiao Mei-chin mentioned that Taiwan is currently in the typhoon season. Another global challenge that countries collectively face is the significant impact of extreme weather and natural disasters on people, which is another form of “resilience” that both countries are striving to construct. Therefore, there are many areas for mutual learning, experience sharing, and ongoing potential cooperation between Taiwan and Lithuania.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China stated, “Chairman Baranovas of the Lithuanian Parliament Friendship Group, invited by the Taiwanese government, led a bipartisan delegation comprising Chairman Jeglinskas of the National Security and National Defense Committee and Vice Chairman Maldeikis of the Foreign Affairs Committee, among 8 members, to visit Taiwan from the 6th to the 11th, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sincerely welcomes this visit.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China stated that during the delegation’s visit to Taiwan, they will meet with Vice President Hsiao Mei-chin, call on Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung, Minister of National Defense Gu Li-hsiung, Minister of Environmental Protection Peng Chi-ming, Chairperson of the Mainland Affairs Council Chiou Chwei-cheng, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Yuan Chiang Kai-chen, and separately attend banquets hosted by the Secretary-General of the National Security Council, Wu Zhao-xie, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wu Chih-chung, to exchange views on Taiwan-Lithuania relations, regional security situations, and economic cooperation and other issues.