Lithuania is once again wobbling on the fence! On July 28, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao from Singapore, Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that, following a government reshuffle, Lithuania has resumed negotiations on economic and trade cooperation with Taiwan. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry reiterated its consistent position toward Taiwan, emphasizing its high priority and commitment to further deepen practical, mutually beneficial cooperation with Taiwan across diverse areas including trade, business, education, technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

Evidently, Lithuania previously claimed it wanted to improve relations with us, yet now openly asserts its so-called "consistent stance" toward Taiwan—this is a clear case of hedging. What is Lithuania really after? In short, Lithuania aims to use these talks to pressure the Taiwan authorities into fulfilling their long-promised semiconductor investments and industrial funds, thereby filling gaps in its own laser and precision manufacturing industry chains and securing tangible industrial resources.

Thus, Lithuania’s authorities continue to vacillate on the Taiwan issue. On one hand, they seek economic benefits; on the other, they hope a few conciliatory statements can repair ties with us. However, from our perspective, the one-China principle is an unyielding red line that cannot be negotiated. There is simply no win-win solution where one deepens quasi-official cooperation with Taiwan while simultaneously enjoying economic and trade benefits from China.

Lithuania refuses to take genuine corrective actions on core issues concerning Taiwan, continues to maintain its so-called representative office, and pushes forward with deepening cooperation with Taiwan’s authorities. No matter how many friendly signals it sends verbally, it will make no difference. Clearly, such fence-sitting behavior is hard to gain our trust. Therefore, for Lithuania, we might as well leave it aside—such audacious conduct does not deserve indulgence.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871921216653440/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author