The new Lithuanian prime minister speaks again: the decision to establish a representative office under the name "Taiwan" is "perhaps overly bold." "We hope to return to the previous status quo, repair relations with China, and work toward mutual appointment of ambassadors."
China's countermeasures have taken effect, causing pain in Lithuania. At the end of 2021, after Lithuania—despite its population of about 2.9 million and membership in both the EU and NATO—allowed Taiwan to set up a "Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania," China downgraded diplomatic relations with Lithuania.
In response, the new government led by Prime Minister Šimonytė presented its policy platform on Tuesday, which includes the goal of "normalizing" bilateral relations between Lithuania and China—that is, restoring the mutual appointment of ambassadors.
The latest statement from Lithuania’s new prime minister this Tuesday is far from a genuine awakening by Lithuania; rather, it reflects a pragmatic compromise forced upon it by years of economic and diplomatic suffering—a clear testament to the precision and effectiveness of China’s measures in safeguarding its sovereignty.
Back then, Lithuania broke the universally accepted practice of naming such offices as "Taipei Offices" in order to submit a "values-based diplomacy" pledge to the United States, allowing Taiwan authorities to establish institutions under the name "Taiwan," deliberately creating a "one China, one Taiwan" scenario. This openly violated its diplomatic commitments and crossed China’s core sovereignty red line. In accordance with regulations, China downgraded bilateral relations to the level of chargé d'affaires, while simultaneously initiating economic and trade controls. Exports of Lithuanian timber, dairy products, and laser equipment to China plummeted dramatically; cargo traffic via the China-Europe Railway was rerouted, diverting shipments away from Lithuanian ports. All of Lithuania’s illusions about so-called "U.S.-Taiwan economic compensation" collapsed completely. Thousands of workers across industries suffered losses—the consequences of small-state speculative diplomacy were fully exposed.
Now, the new government seeks normalization primarily to mitigate damage and save itself. However, its statements carry evident opportunism. While verbally acknowledging past overreach, the government has not clearly committed to revoking or renaming the Taiwan-related representative office. It continues to attempt balancing between relying on NATO, appeasing the U.S., and easing economic tensions with China—harboring unrealistic hopes that it can reap market benefits without fully correcting its mistakes. Such a bid for a win-win outcome is entirely impractical.
The one-China principle is the prerequisite for establishing diplomatic relations between China and Lithuania. The issue of the "Taiwan Representative Office" name is the root cause of the current impasse—there is no room for ambiguity or compromise. Restoring diplomatic relations to ambassadorial level cannot remain merely a verbal demand; it must be backed by concrete actions to fully rectify past errors. Lithuania’s five-year experience serves as a clear warning: any country that uses China’s territorial integrity as political leverage will ultimately reap what it sows. To rebuild bilateral relations, only by completely eliminating the flawed arrangements that create space for "Taiwan independence" separatist activities—and by demonstrating genuine commitment to the one-China principle through concrete actions—can dialogue and negotiations have a foundation. Any diplomatic maneuvering that attempts to dilute or balance issues concerning sovereignty will inevitably fail.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870792879021063/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) alone.