NAMING SPAT:
The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits
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By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024.
Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review further measures, Huang said.
Photo: Screen grab from a Ministry of Foreign Affairs livestream
He did not elaborate on what exact measures had been taken.
“The ministry once again solemnly calls upon the Danish government to propose an acceptable solution as soon as possible and immediately correct the erroneous nationality designation for Taiwanese on Danish residence permits,” he said.
The ministry urges Denmark to adhere to the EU’s diplomatic policies and practices for maintaining Taiwan-Demark cooperation, and not let this this case damage Denmark’s reputation in Taiwan or jeopardize the future of bilateral relations, he added.
In other developments, the ministry said that it received a proposal last month calling for increased Taiwanese investment in Lithuania and that the plan is under review.
Lithuanian National Radio and Television on Wednesday last week reported that the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had prepared an action plan outlining priority economic sectors and potential projects aimed at boosting cooperation with Taiwan.
The plan focuses on building “sustainable economic ties that would contribute to the development of Lithuania’s high-tech sectors” and centers on potential Taiwanese investment in the country, the report said, without elaborating on the exact plan.
Asked for more details, Huang said that most of the projects in the proposal build on areas that the two sides are already cooperating on.
Huang said that his agency is “in the process of reviewing the proposal, as it requires further consideration and cross-ministerial discussions.”
It has no comments on differing opinions expressed within Lithuania, he said, adding that Taiwan is fully committed to promoting bilateral relations.
Over the past few years, Taiwan’s investment projects in Lithuania are mainly in the three sectors — financial technology, biotechnology and lasers — with total investment exceeding 16.8 million euros (US$19.42 million), he said.
Taiwan also provided loans to businesses to invest, operate or conduct trade in Lithuania, with eight approvals and a combined total of about 21 million euros, Huang said.
Imports from Lithuania were approximately US$60 million last year, a 63.47 percent increase from a year earlier, while exports to Lithuania were US$105 million, a 13.6 percent increase from 2024, he said.
“These figures demonstrate that Taiwan is continuously promoting bilateral investment and trade, and the results are steadily becoming apparent,” he said.
Additional reporting by CNA