Lithuania & Taiwan: In Defense of Democracy - Taiwan’s Little Big Friend EP1
Why did China suddenly ban the import of Lithuanian products in 2021? Learn how Lithuania’s support of Taiwan created a political storm between the three nations. In 2021, Lithuania opened a Taiwan Representative Office, the first of its kind in the world, immediately facing backlash from China. The country banned the import of Lithuanian goods, going so far as to prohibit products from Europe that contained Lithuanian-produced components. Lithuanians strongly identify with the Taiwanese struggle, having declared independence from the former Soviet Union in 1990 through a bloody resistance. To this day, Lithuania maintains a strong sense of justice for small nations being bullied by larger ones. In response to China’s economic sanctions, Lithuania and Taiwan began strengthening their economic ties. From semiconductors and lasers to food innovations, exchanges in technology and business between the two nations have only grown stronger. Citizens, scholars, and entrepreneurs from both countries agree that Lithuania and Taiwan have much to offer each other. By fortifying economic, social, and cultural ties, these friends continue to defy outside provocations. Taiwan’s Little Big Friend is a mini-documentary series exploring the diplomatic, economic, and social relationship between Taiwan and Lithuania. In 2021, Lithuania opened the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius, the first of its kind worldwide, leading to economic retaliation from the Chinese government, which banned the import of Lithuanian goods to China. This three-part series documents the relationship between the two countries and how Lithuania became Taiwan’s little big friend. A series directed by Julien Oeuillet.
