Lithuania-China | A David and Goliath state of affairs
The Hindu
Why are China-Lithuania relations on a nosedive? What are its geopolitical ramifications?
The story so far: In November 2021, a , notable because it is for the first time that Taiwan was allowed to use its own name to open an office within the EU. Following this, China has downgraded its diplomatic relations with Lithuania, calling it a violation of the “One China Policy”. China has also unofficially boycotted products from Lithuania, whether it is sourced directly or indirectly from the country. Lithuania has so far not backtracked on its actions against China. Taiwan, the U.S. and the EU have expressed their support to Lithuania in what has been termed as a “David vs Goliath” battle.
Lithuania’s current wave of assertive moves against China to a certain extent have been attributed to the change of government in 2020, as well as the growing geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe over EU and NATO’s fallout with Lithuania’s adversarial neighbours, Russia and Belarus. Lithuania, being the first constituent of the Soviet Union to break out as an independent state, has its own historical context and ideological rationale for standing up to China. The new Government of Lithuania espouses a “values-based” foreign policy based on democracy and freedom, and had explicitly offered support to the cause of Taiwan in 2020 itself. Lithuania has been one of the biggest critics of China within the EU on the Xinjiang and Hong Kong issues. Lithuania supported Taiwan’s pitch to become an observer at the World Health Organization in 2020 against China’s opposition in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.