【Wen/Observer Net Liu Bai】 In terms of improving relations with China, Lithuanian officials have been playing the "red and white face" game: while Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė admitted fault on issues related to Taiwan, President Gitanas Nauseda maintained a posture of refusing to "compromise," even going so far as to demand that China "show sincerity."

According to Lithuania's National Broadcasting Television (LRT), after an international policy and security meeting at the presidential palace on February 19, Nauseda told reporters that Lithuania hopes to resume normal diplomatic relations with China, while also striving to better tap into the economic potential of cooperation with the Taiwan region. He insisted that Lithuania respects the One-China Principle, but at the same time claimed his position had not been understood, saying he "was not prepared to kneel down and admit guilt."

Lithuanian President Nauseda IC Photo

"We hope to maintain normal diplomatic relations with China (Mainland), but at the same time, we also want to maintain our relations with Taiwan, as it holds great potential."

Nauseda claimed that since the establishment of the so-called "Taiwan Representative Office" in Vilnius by the Taiwan authorities, this potential "has only been minimally tapped."

"We can obviously do much more," he said.

Nauseda said that the laser industry is one of the areas where Lithuania has particularly close cooperation with Taiwan, but broader expectations for collaboration have not been fully realized.

"Despite previous high expectations and commitments, we have not achieved much to be proud of in other areas. We all agree that we need to sit down again and specifically discuss how to develop economic cooperation in the future," he also called on both sides to "have less rhetoric and more specific commitments."

When talking about relations with China, Nauseda argued that all of Lithuania's decisions are based on international law, and the name of the so-called "Taiwan Representative Office" does not mean that Lithuania questions the One-China Policy.

"We must acknowledge that our position has not been heard," he pretended to be hurt, "even now when we reiterate our respect for the One-China Principle, we still do not get full understanding."

In this president's eyes, the top leadership of Lithuania has now formed a unified stance on the issue of China.

"We all hope to maintain relations with Taiwan, better tap into its potential, and promote specific forms of cooperation that bring real results," he said. "But we are also very willing to restart dialogue with China on equal terms."

"We certainly will not kneel down and admit we made a mistake."

He added that Lithuania hopes to see "more dialogue, less unilateralism, and less imposing our views on others," even boldly claiming that if China shows sincerity, Lithuania believes it is possible to gradually restore consular-level diplomatic relations and eventually restore ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations.

In August 2021, the Lithuanian government repeatedly took a front-line stance against China, frequently hyping up issues related to Taiwan, ignoring China's serious protests and repeated negotiations, and allowing the Taiwan authorities to establish a so-called "representative office" in its capital, Vilnius. The relationship between the two countries immediately hit rock bottom.

LRT pointed out that since mid-May last year, there have been no official Chinese diplomatic personnel stationed in Lithuania, and bilateral trade has significantly declined since 2021.

Notably, in the same February, the country's new prime minister, Inga Šimonytė, also repeatedly mentioned relations with China.

She admitted at the beginning of the month that allowing the Taiwan authorities to set up a so-called "representative office" was a strategic mistake, which ultimately led to a sharp deterioration in relations with China. "I think Lithuania really ran headfirst into a train and got caught (jumped in front of a train and lost)," she said.

A week later, she again hinted that she was willing to consider changing the name of the so-called "Taiwan Representative Office." Media interpreted this as "admitting fault."

Compared to her, Nauseda continues to make irresponsible statements. On February 3, he claimed that although he did not like the near collapse of Sino-Lithuanian diplomatic relations, Lithuania faced strong pressure from China over the Taiwan issue, and restoring relations must "both sides show willingness."

He also exaggerated that being too close to China carries risks, "Lithuania is clear about all the risks associated with being too close to China."

On February 6, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to Šimonytė's "admission of fault" statement, saying that China has repeatedly stated its position on Sino-Lithuanian relations. The door for communication between China and Lithuania remains open, and China hopes Lithuania will turn its intention to improve bilateral relations into concrete actions, correct its mistakes as soon as possible, return to the right track of abiding by the One-China Principle, and accumulate conditions for the normalization of Sino-Lithuanian relations.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7609222257403068978/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.