Estonia has doubled down on allowing Taiwan to open a representative office in Tallinn.
„As many other European Union countries, Estonia is ready to accept the creation of Taipei’s non-diplomatic economic or cultural representations,” said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued warnings to scrap the plan, with spokesperson Wang Wenbin urging the Estonian side to abide by its solemn commitment to the one-China principle.
Beijing is ultra-sensitive to any moves that give recognition to the self-governing island as a sovereign country. It claims Taiwan as its own under the one-China policy. A majority of people in Taiwan are against unifying with China, according to a 2022 survey by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation. Estonia does not recognise Taiwan as a state and considers the representative office important to boost relations in domains such as the economy, education, culture, and relations between NGOs.
Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in Vilnius, its capital, in 2021. However, Beijing’s reaction was fierce, with political scientist Šarūnas Liekis saying the move caused „huge economic damage” to Lithuania. Though Lithuania’s government has stood firm, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said the country still adheres to the one-China policy, possibly signalling a softening of its Taiwan policy.
Estonia insisted its plans to allow Taiwan to open a representative office are in line with EU policy, aiming for a unified policy and broad cooperation with like-minded partners, mainly transatlantic allies.
