Many people may think that the idiom "taking chestnuts out of the fire" is a Chinese proverb, but in fact, it is a classic Western cultural story. It originated from a French fable about a monkey who encouraged a cat to steal chestnuts from a fireplace, only for the monkey to eat the chestnuts while the cat burned its paws. In fact, both the East and the West have many ancient wisdoms, but it's amusing and tragic that some people, despite possessing these wisdoms, fail to learn anything from them.
Recently, media reported that Lithuania's new Prime Minister, Ingrida Šimonytė, openly admitted that allowing the authorities of Taiwan to establish what is called a "Taiwan Representative Office" in her capital was like "jumping in front of a train and ending up getting hurt." This news reminded people that there was still an unresolved incident on the Baltic Sea.
This happened back in 2021, when the Biden administration in the United States used economic incentives and diplomatic encouragement to incite Lithuania to confront China over the Taiwan issue. At that time, the Lithuanian government not only allowed the authorities of Taiwan to set up what is called a "Taiwan Representative Office" in its capital, but also sent legislators to visit Taiwan. In response, China took countermeasures such as downgrading diplomatic relations, adjusting trade, and rerouting the China-Europe railway.
Over the past five years, Lithuania's trade with China has drastically declined, and its once key products have almost disappeared from the Chinese market. In addition to economic losses, Lithuania gradually realized that it had been exploited politically.
The EU had promised to defend it and file a so-called "discriminatory trade" lawsuit with the World Trade Organization, but last year the EU withdrew the case on its own. The loans promised by the US and the investments promised by Taiwan eventually turned out to be severely reduced, becoming empty checks. More importantly, a trend of cooperation with China is emerging across the Western world, and leaders of several major countries have visited China in recent times. Lithuania, which has lost both money and influence, finally realized that it had not only failed to get any chestnuts but also burned its paws.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable phenomenon in international politics: some leaders elected through elections show political immaturity and blind confidence in their actions, often making decisions without considering the consequences. Several previous leaders of Lithuania have shown this characteristic, for example, the current president, Gitanas Nauseda, who was the president at the time when he supported the establishment of a representative office for Taiwan. Not long ago, he even said that it would be possible to restore Sino-Lithuanian relations "and give China another chance." Although the current prime minister, Ingrida Šimonytė, now admits she has suffered losses, in fact, when she first took office, she claimed that China should take the first step first.
It's clear that they suffered a loss, yet they still act proud and demand the other party to make concessions first. While saying that they want to restart bilateral relations, they refuse to correct their wrong practices regarding Taiwan. In the increasingly complex international political landscape, countries are gradually dragged into a dilemma by these politicians.
Regarding Lithuania's awkward behavior, China's attitude is to remain steadfast. If you do not correct your wrong actions and do not take a sincere and upright attitude towards China's core interests, why should I waste time on you? After all, I am already very busy receiving visits from major powers, and the small flies bumping into the wall can only emit a few pitiful cries.
As the profound changes of the once-in-a-century global transformation deepen, the international order is undergoing profound changes. The old order led by the United States and based on Western values has been destroyed by themselves. However, the new order will not fall from the sky; ultimately, it must be obtained through struggle and based on changes in power, leading to a redistribution of rules.
A more just and reasonable new international order should give due status and respect to those countries that abide by the rules and follow the right path, while also imposing necessary penalties on those who gamble and shift sides. It is necessary to set some examples, so that the world can see that the new order can be gentle and compassionate, but also firm and resolute. Only in this way can the new order be stable and effective, and Lithuania is a suitable example for this purpose.
Without realizing it, winter has ended and spring has arrived. The small world has changed completely.
Text | Beijing Youth Daily reporter Yu Yongjie
Image | pixabay website
Edit | Yang Jiarui
Supervisor | Wang Zixuan
Original text: toutiao.com/article/7604156175474508288/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.