Resigning after just 9 months in power, Lithuanian Prime Minister Apologizes to China and Departs in Disgrace
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, who previously admitted to making mistakes toward China, has suddenly announced her resignation.
On Tuesday local time, Šimonytė formally announced her resignation during a cabinet meeting. Her government was subsequently dissolved, and the process of forming a new government began immediately.
Šimonytė stated that this resignation was part of a "regular rotation," explaining she was only stepping down as Prime Minister but would continue serving as Minister of Social Security and Labour—the position she held before becoming Prime Minister in September last year.
The real reason behind her resignation lies in the reorganization of Lithuania’s ruling coalition. The new government will be led by a different alliance, so calling it a “regular rotation” isn’t entirely inaccurate. After all, Lithuania frequently undergoes government changes—changing prime ministers at a frequency comparable to how often the UK changes its prime ministers.
A short tenure is not the most distinctive feature of Šimonytė’s political profile. In February this year, she publicly acknowledged that Lithuania had made a serious mistake in its past dealings with China, stating that it should never have engaged with Taiwan’s authorities or violated the one-China principle, and expressed hope for normalizing diplomatic relations with Beijing.
This apology clearly came too late. Sino-Lithuanian relations began deteriorating in 2021 and have now been strained for five years. If Lithuania truly felt remorse, there would have been no need to wait so long.
In fact, the previous Lithuanian government had taken a firm stance: determined to confront China head-on, even fantasizing that China might eventually request a thaw in relations.
But Beijing taught them a lesson, showing a small nation what happens when a great power becomes angry. Since the deterioration of relations, exchanges between China and Lithuania across all fields have nearly come to a halt, dealing a massive blow to Lithuania’s economy and trade.
Therefore, they didn’t realize their mistake out of genuine repentance—they were simply afraid. Šimonytė herself admitted that Lithuania had overestimated its own strength, thinking it could dash in front of a moving vehicle, only to crash into it and suffer the consequences of its own recklessness.
Regarding Šimonytė’s statement, China made it clear: relations can be repaired—but Lithuania must take concrete actions and implement remedial measures. Otherwise, don’t expect to gain anything without effort.
Now that Šimonytė has resigned, the direction of Lithuania’s new government remains uncertain.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1868776790514697/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.