Since the opening of a “representative office” in Vilnius under the name “Taiwan,” Lithuania has been bombarded with diplomatic expletives from an enraged China. The Lithuanian government adopted a denial mode to Beijing’s political bunkums and countermeasures following the former’s outright defiance of the infamous one-China policy. The Anti-China card brought in by the Lithuanian government was quick to grab eyes, more so among the famed China hawks in the west.
THE US PLOY TO RAGE UP THINGS
The denial mode undertaken made Lithuania soar up the ladders of popularity to be christened soon as the lone voice of dissent and power among the European clique against a belligerent China. The US got on board, praising Lithuania’s composure and persuading it to press on with its anti-China position, assuring full support from the west for the remarkable resistance to persist.
The US has been assiduous in its pursuit of strengthening the EU and the Trans-Atlantic alliance for a long time, or so it looked. As a result, Lithuania got lured into the strategic independence formula emphasized by the EU and espoused the United States of America to abet the Baltic country in its pursuit of the so-called strategic independence.
Read more: What Lithuania started has turned into a massive global movement against the CCP
THE EU – US DISCORD
At present with Macron at the helm of affairs in the EU, the organization has been treading a path that is ill-matched with the ethos put up by the US. Moreover, the EU is no more in a condition to blindly follow the US and of late has been distancing away from America when it comes to decision making.
Biden has been putting his cards in play to assuage relations with the EU through Paris treaty, strengthening dialogues with European leaders, but to no avail.
For the EU it is tantamount to have China by its side for economic considerations. It’s quite amusing to note that, even after the blatant show of authoritarianism from Beijing, the EU has refrained from calling China an enemy but only portraying them as an economic competitor.
In an era when Beijing’s comprehensive strategy is affecting the mood of many European countries, the EU may have altered its approach to China, as evidenced by the China-EU geographical sign treaty, which would allow the EU to go around the US in its trade deals with China.
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Because China and the EU share so many common interests, the EU would not allow Lithuania to become a stumbling block in Sino-EU relations by sowing discontent. In such a situation, Lithuania would undoubtedly have wished for assistance from its long-time ally, the United States. But it seems like Lithuania took too much time to discern that the US holds the history of being a qualified demagogue who can spoil and further stir up trouble in an already faltering state of affairs
The Biden administration is ingrained in politicking with the eastern Europe crisis and has left out Lithuania in the lurch. The lackadaisical and indifferent approach from the Biden administration has shown Lithuania the tedious reality of the world they are living in. It was palpable from Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda’s claim that allowing Taiwan to establish a “representative office” under the name of “Taiwan” was a mistake.
China is unconcerned about losing a country it considers non-mainstream, but with Biden’s and the EU’s abrupt change of heart, Lithuania has little choice but to ramp up its relations with China rather than succumb to the west’s gimmicks.