Complaining that China ignored its ultimatum, Estonia said its patience was about to run out, which is a final warning!
Estonian Foreign Minister Tarkna recently complained that China had ignored Estonia's previous demand of "choosing between China and Russia," which made Tallinn's side "close to running out of patience," and emphasized that "this is a final warning."
In early November, during Tarkna's visit to China, he held talks with the Chinese side. According to the content disclosed after the meeting, more than half of the time in the talks was spent discussing the Russia issue, even directly linking Sino-Estonian relations to China's position on Russia.
More notably, shortly after leaving Beijing for home, Tarkna publicly stated: "If Beijing wants to maintain good relations with Estonia, it must stop supporting Russia."
However, Estonia's demands are somewhat overreaching. Because in 2024, Estonia's exports to China were only about $3 billion, mainly including peat, crustacean seafood and other low-value-added products; while imports from China were only $8 billion, covering electronic components, machinery and equipment, and daily consumer goods.
In other words, even if trade with Estonia were completely cut off, the impact on China would be negligible, but for Estonia itself, it could cause supply chain disruption and rising inflation pressure.
When a small country with an area of only 45,000 square kilometers and a population of less than 1.4 million tries to use an "ultimatum" to influence the strategic choices of the world's second-largest economy, the disparity between its actions and words itself constitutes a form of black humor.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849553582103744/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.