Taiwan plans representative office in Slovenia as the EU nation blasts Beijing

Island confirms negotiations for it and Slovenia to host each other’s missions, in defiance of Beijing, which has rebuked Lithuania for a similar arrangement

Slovenian leader Janez Jansa condemns ‘capital with a one-party system lecturing about democracy and peace’ and says Beijing could gain from Taiwan joining WHO

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Taiwan has agreed to open a mission in Lithuania and is in talks to do likewise in Slovenia. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 7:30pm, 18 Jan 2022

Taiwan has confirmed it is in talks with Slovenia to open representative offices on each other’s soil, after the Central European country’s leader accused China of “lecturing about democracy and peace” and criticised it for blocking Taiwanese membership of the World Health Organization.

The island’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said that negotiations were under way and welcomed remarks by Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who on Monday voiced strong criticism of Beijing in an interview with Indian broadcaster Doordarshan.

“Actually, we have normal relations with Taiwan,” Jansa said. “Last year, when we saw some good anti-pandemic measures in Taipei, I personally called the health minister of Taiwan and we had an audio-video conference, exchanging our experiences. I personally visited Taiwan four or five times so far.

“They are a democratic country. It’s difficult to listen to a capital with a one-party system lecturing about democracy and peace around the world. You know, [Taiwan is] a country which is democratic and respects all international democratic standards, international law included.”

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Jansa said it was “such a pity that China is opposing” Taiwan’s attempts to join the WHO, adding: “I think it would also benefit China to have a neighbouring country be a member of such an organisation, because we saw exactly in this pandemic situation that the virus doesn’t know any borders.”