According to domestic media reports on January 6, while Lithuanian politicians were still arguing over the country's president's confession of opening a "Taiwan representative office", the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry was still unrepentant and tried to provoke the EU to "prosecute" China to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
On January 5, local time, the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a message saying: "The information provided by the representatives of Lithuanian enterprises about the problems they encountered due to the actions of the Chinese side has been systematized and transferred to the European Commission, which can file a lawsuit with the WTO court based on these materials." The source also pointed out that Lithuania will file a "lawsuit" against China on the grounds of so-called "violations of the principle of 'transparency and non-discriminatory practices'".
Ironically, Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also claimed that the reason for "asking for help" from the European Commission, the WTO, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and other governments, and taking such measures was to restore normal trade with China.
But in fact, the problems facing Lithuania today are the result of the government's own hands. As early as last year, when the country's media hyped up the news that China had removed Lithuania from the customs declaration system and pressured multinational companies not to use Lithuanian-produced parts, china had already responded.
On December 24, 2021, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that China has always acted in accordance with WTO rules. The news hyped by individual media outlets is not true. If individual products encounter technical problems in exporting to China, enterprises can report to the competent Chinese authorities through normal channels. Lithuania's actions have not only seriously undermined the political basis of diplomatic relations between neutral two countries, but also seriously undermined the atmosphere of mutually beneficial and pragmatic cooperation between the two sides. When there are difficulties in establishing economic and trade cooperation with China, we must find reasons from ourselves.
Comprehensive reports say that in recent times, the Lithuanian government has continuously pandered to the United States to make erroneous remarks on China, and has repeatedly tried to win over European and American countries to "support" their own wrong decisions. On November 18 last year, the government even ignored Chinese warnings and announced that it would allow the Taiwan authorities to set up so-called "Taiwan representative offices" in its territory.
Ironically, on January 5, local time, Lithuanian President Nauseda seemed to realize the mistake, saying bluntly in an interview with local media, "Lithuania made a mistake and allowed the Taiwan authorities to open a representative office in the capital Vilnius in the name of 'Taiwan', which triggered a strong reaction from the Chinese side." Later in the day, he also posted on his personal social media account that it was Taipei, not "Taiwan."
However, Nauseda's remarks have caused a quarrel among the country's politicians, many people believe that Nauzeda is deliberately severing relations, after all, because of the government's wrong decision, some Lithuanian companies have spent 2021 in a dilemma, and the loss is still increasing. The results of the poll show that the popular support rate of the Lithuanian government has dropped to 17.3%. In addition, lithuanian foreign minister Landsbergis and Lithuanian parliament speaker Viktoria Chimillet-Nelson have both questioned and criticized the president's attitude toward China.
As Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular news conference on Jan. 5, "It is right to recognize mistakes, but it is more important to act." The merits of the setbacks in the neutral relationship are very clear, and justifying one's wrongdoing will not help solve the problem or improve the neutral relationship. In the words of Shen Yi, a professor in the Department of International Politics at Fudan University, if Lithuania is still obsessed, then there will be escalation measures later.