Backfiring on all cylinders
China has abandoned its economic pressure campaign against Lithuania.
That’s according to Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in an interview with Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) published this week.
Some context: In 2021 Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open the Taiwan Representative Office – a de facto embassy – in Vilnius.
- Beijing flipped out because it was called the “Taiwan” Representative Office instead of the "Taipei" Representative Office.
- Beijing thinks the use of “Taiwan” makes the island sound too much like an independent country.
- Beijing downgraded its relationship with Lithuania to chargé d’affaires level and imposed an effective ban on Lithuanian exports to China.
Landsbergis said that “Lithuania is no longer under any economic pressure from China” and that “most of the…measures against Lithuania have been lifted” (LRT).
Check this: According to Landsbergis, Beijing backed off without insisting that Lithuania replace the name “Taiwan” with “Taipei” in the title of the representative office, previously a major point of contention.
- “The issue of the Taiwanese representative office is not part of our discussions with Beijing.”
- “Taiwan has the right to have a representative office in Lithuania under the name they have chosen.”
Get smart: If things went down as Landsbergis says, it’s hard to imagine a bigger own goal by China.
- Not only did Beijing not coerce the outcome it wanted, its extra-legal pressure on Lithuania also damaged its reputation in Europe and prompted the EU to adopt an anti-coercion instrument.
Get smarter: China has tried to generate positive momentum ahead of the China-EU Summit next week.
- But it’s too little too late.