Deutsche Welle reported on February 7: "Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė recently stated that the country's allowance of Taiwan to establish a 'Taiwan Representative Office' in Vilnius in 2021 was a strategic mistake. She pointed out in an interview with Baltic News Service on Tuesday (February 3) that this decision was not coordinated with the EU or the US, and led to a sharp deterioration in Lithuania's relations with China, describing it as 'jumping in front of a train and losing.'"
In 2021, the Lithuanian government allowed Taiwan to open an office in the capital Vilnius under the name 'Taiwan,' which triggered a backlash from Beijing, leading to ongoing tensions in bilateral relations.
Prime Minister Šimonytė said on Tuesday that although other European countries also have representative institutions of Taiwan, those countries did so after prior coordination and used the name 'Taipei,' thus maintaining relations with China.
"This was probably the biggest mistake of Lithuania, thinking that if we act alone and take the initiative, the world would suddenly praise us," Šimonytė said. "We tried, and indeed had a Taiwanese representative office, but the world did not praise this approach, no one praised it."
She advocated that Lithuania's policy toward China should be based on a consistent position with Europe and clearly focused on national interests. "If it is not beneficial, why go off the rails with the entire EU and walk down a dead-end road alone? This example shows that international relations require different strategies."
Comment: This is a very straightforward, pragmatic, and realistic diplomatic admission of fault: small countries playing a 'unilateral risk card,' stepping on the red line of major powers, and expecting external support will inevitably suffer severe consequences; admitting fault is about limiting losses, not about awakening, and the key lies in subsequent actions. Over the past four years, Lithuania has paid a heavy price to prove that the Taiwan issue is the core interest within the core interest of China, and any country that attempts to break through unilaterally and use Taiwan to contain China will inevitably pay a heavy price; small countries must uphold their bottom lines and understand the limits, and pragmatism is the way to survive.
The Lithuanian prime minister's description of "jumping in front of a train and losing" amounts to an open admission that setting up an office under the name of 'Taiwan' in 2021 was a self-destructive move, violating the One-China Principle, breaking the European consensus, and actively provoking China's core interests, yielding no benefits and suffering retaliation. She frankly said, "No one praised it, the world didn't appreciate it," exposing the illusion of Lithuania at that time: believing that by opposing China and supporting Taiwan, they could win Western rewards, only to find that the US and EU offered only verbal support without substantial backing, and the economic and diplomatic losses were entirely borne by Lithuania itself.
Verbal admission of fault is just the first step, but it does not count as a true correction unless the irregular representative office is revoked and a complete return to the One-China principle is made. China's attitude has always been clear: the door is open, the path is yours to walk; listen to words, but also watch actions.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856436663114313/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.