preface
On the Baltic coast, there is such a country, the whole country has a population of less than 3 million, but recently it has frequently found a sense of existence in the international arena, constantly challenging China's bottom line, and provoking China's sovereignty on the Taiwan issue, as if this can satisfy the mainstream Western countries.
However, none of these things seem to have achieved Lithuania's ultimate goal, and this small European country, which had been constantly coming to the fore, fell into an unprecedented predicament.
Now he is as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, and he regrets it!
President of Lithuania Nauseda
Lithuania's anti-Chinese road
If United States and other Western countries are trying their best to squeeze out China on the international stage, it is because China's growing national strength affects their exercise of hegemony on a global scale and threatens their international status.
Source: Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2022 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is warning Lithuania not to try to win over other countries to unite against China
Speaking of the past between China and Lithuania, we must start from the collapse of the Soviet Union in the last century, Lithuania, as a former Soviet republic, became a vassal country because of the decline of national strength and was annexed by Russia, and the national consciousness determined that they were naturally hostile to the socialist camp ideologically.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lithuania opened up independent sovereignty and could not wait to join the camp of the Western powers.
Anti-Soviet movement on the Baltic Way
However, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lithuania's hatred of the Soviet Union has not diminished in the slightest, and because Sino-Soviet relations in the last century were not bad as a whole, he even hated China, that is, "a friend of an enemy is an enemy."
At the end of the 90s, when China began to rise, he began to stand in line against China's accession to the WTO, and in 2004 he became even more arrogant, and he even stood on Taiwan's position to seek sovereignty and independence and support Taiwan's "Taiwan Protection Action".
Lithuania's performance on the international stage is like a bear child who attracts the attention of his parents by doing bad things, thinking that he can show that he is in line with the "political correctness" of the Western world through actions such as "opposing China". I want to let the Western powers know that they are on the right side to highlight their performance.
Source: Taiwan Strait Network July 10, 2023 - Lithuania's strong presence on the Taiwan issue is behind the DPP authorities' "selling Taiwan" to woo them
As we all know, the Taiwan issue can be said to be a "heart-shaped" sovereignty issue on the mainland, and the Lithuania authorities, in disregard of China's obstruction, have insisted on making an issue affecting China's sovereignty, and even want to set a bad precedent of "one China, one Taiwan." This will of course cause the mainland to impose sanctions on them.
The mainland announced that it would downgrade the Lithuania embassy in China to an "agency office" and asked the mainland's diplomatic personnel in Lithuania to send them back. And interrupted part of the import and export trade and economic cooperation with Lithuania. But at this time, they still stubbornly emphasized that Lithuania is a "sovereign state" and has the right to decide with which countries to develop relations with.
The Taiwan issue has repeatedly hit the bottom line -- you will bear the consequences
Immediately after Lithuania was diplomatically downgraded by China, he tasted the sweetness of jumping up and down - the United States immediately announced that it would open up its goods to the United States market and investment with Lithuania. In addition to this, United States will provide $600 million in export credits to Lithuania.
In this way, Lithuania immediately understood that only by adhering to what the United States insists on and doing what the United States instructs it to do, can a small country like it profit from Sino-US relations.
Whitewashing Pelosi, claiming that Pelosi's visit was "an important signal to the 'democratic world'." At the same time, she also said that "the number of visits to Taiwan by senior officials should be increased".
Source: China Taiwan Network August 14, 2022 - Following Pelosi's example of Taiwan, who gave the small country of Lithuania such a bold son?
What is ridiculous is that Lithuania politicians are vainly trying to continue to disturb the issue of China's sovereignty in Taiwan, but the question is, do the Taiwan authorities still dare to respond? At present, the Taiwan authorities are still afraid of further blockade by the Chinese mainland and carry out further reunification in essence.
Moreover, the current strength of the mainland no longer allows Lithuania, a "paper tiger", to be a prestige.
Data show that in 2021, China's imports to Lithuania will be 2.815 billion US dollars, and in 2022, this figure will plummet to less than 610 million US dollars, and all kinds of cliff-like decline data are undoubtedly a very significant blow to Lithuania's economy.
Lithuania has always wanted to build the role of a European transportation hub, but also to brush up its presence and want to improve the country's economic level, but China kicked Lithuania out of the China-Europe train in 2023, puncturing his dream.
You know, the China-Europe Express is a very important existence for Lithuania and has given him very important economic support. In this break, it can be regarded as a broken artery.
Faced with the firm departure of one friendly country after another, Lithuania understands what it means to lift a stone and shoot itself in the foot, and his situation at this time can be regarded as "embattled".
Lithuania's plight and regret
After being sanctioned by China, Lithuania is as anxious as ants on a hot pot, and its economy has fallen into unprecedented stagflation. The inflation rate is as high as 18.4%, ranking among the highest in the European Union, and the national debt has reached more than 40 billion US dollars, accounting for more than 90% of GDP; More than 1,300 businesses have closed and nearly 100,000 people have lost their jobs.
In other words, in a country of less than three million people, one out of every 30 people loses their job, most of the country's businesses have closed, and the country's economic situation is precarious.
Not only has the economy suffered a crisis, but the country's political leadership has also suffered a heavy blow. How can they, as the leaders of the country, make wrong decisions on key issues, causing their people to endure constant suffering and hardship?
Source: Xinhuanet, December 30, 2021 – The Lithuania government's approval rating has fallen to an all-time low, and opposition leaders: they are crazy
In 2022, when Lithuania was in a downturn, he also wanted to turn to his big brother for help. Nauseda asked Biden to United States permanent presence in Lithuania, but the United States simply refused.
You see, the promises of the United States are a mirage that can never be relied upon. When you can use it, you are the most hopeful for the future, promised you economic aid and trade cooperation, taste a little sweetness and some people will believe it, when you don't use it, you will stand aside, you are a chess piece that will be discarded if you don't need it.
United States's operation completely made Lithuania anxious, and he ran to the EU for help. But now that the EU is already a mud bodhisattva crossing the river, how can it have time to care about the life and death of a small country, and it will not be able to eat a little policy dividend.
At this time, Lithuania has also realized what position it is in. In March 2023, Lithuania asked China to borrow $20 billion and wanted to continue to cooperate with China to build the port of Klaipeda, a U-turn in attitude that made people around the world laugh.
Source: Global Times August 13, 2021 – China has nothing to lose if it breaks off diplomatic relations with Lithuania, but Lithuania has cornered itself
It is a pity that Lithuania continues to destroy neutral exchanges in the first place, and it is difficult for our government to believe in this kind of wall-to-wall grass that changes direction when the wind blows. Lithuania has taken various measures to undermine China's sovereignty, and there is still a long way to go to repair relations.
epilogue
Lithuania's various actions can only confirm one sentence -
"A weak country has no diplomacy", Lithuania, a small country, but inspired by the Western powers behind it, provoked China, and the final result is to become a pawn, isolated and embattled.
And this experience also reminds us that development is the last word, and only strength is the confidence to speak.