Latvia–Taiwan relations, also retroactively known as ROC–Latvian relations date back to August 16, 1923, when the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

recognized

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

''de jure'', in that period when the island of Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule. After the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

occupation of Latvia in 1940, the ROC is one of the few countries that did not recognize Latvia's incorporation into the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. After restoring its independence in 1991, Latvia pursued an ambiguous policy towards the issue of China, at one point in 1991 and 1992 briefly having established relations with both the ROC and the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, until the PRC froze ties with Latvia in 1992. This policy was allegedly due to Latvian desires of receiving development aid from Taiwan, which, however, did not materialize. This, coupled with changes in the Latvian government and other factors, led to the establishment of full diplomatic ties with the PRC and the closure of the consulate-general of the ROC in Riga in 1994. Ever since, Taiwan is represented by the

Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia The Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia (, lv, Taipejas Misija Latvijas Republikā) represents the interests of Taiwan in the Republic of Latvia in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, functioning as a ''de facto'' embassy. Backgr ...

. Today, bilateral relations include economic ties, a visa-free travel regime and the support of some Latvian parliamentarians towards the participation of the ROC in organizations such as the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

. In November 2023, Taiwan's Foreign Minister

Joseph Wu Joseph Wu Jaushieh (; born October 31, 1954) is a Taiwanese politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China under current President Tsai Ing-wen since February 26, 2018. He was formerly the Secretary-Gen ...

visited the Baltic States, meeting with the Heads of Foreign Affairs Committees of the

Saeima The Saeima () is the parliament of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the po ...

, Riigikogu and

Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendmen ...

, which had visited Taipei in August, and other public figures. Former Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip

MEP MEP may refer to: Organisations and politics * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka * Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...

, Vice-chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs

Urmas Paet Urmas Paet (born 20 April 1974) is an Estonian politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Estonia. He is a member of the Reform Party, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. He has served as Minister of Forei ...

, Estonian think tank ICDS Director Indrek Kannik and its Latvian counterpart, Latvian Institute of International Affairs Director Kārlis Bukovskis were also a part of the delegation, which met with Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen.

References

External links

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Latvia
Bilateral relations of Taiwan

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

{{Bilateralrelations-stub

See also

References

External links