The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense recently released a blacklist listing China as one of the countries that pose a threat. According to the Lithuanian side, this restriction will come into force in January next year, prohibiting all professional military personnel from traveling to blacklisted countries and regions, including China, Russia and Belarus, while on leave. This is a move by Lithuania** to once again regard China as a hostile country after the Ukraine crisis, and it also shows its hostility to the relations between the two countries.
The reason why Lithuania put China on the "threat" blacklist is influenced by the ideological delineation of China and Russia by the Baltic states. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, countries such as Lithuania have been using ideology to attack China and Russia and trying to align their positions with the European Union. Lithuania maliciously blackmailed China this time, and even though China has taken measures to relieve economic pressure, the Lithuanian side still takes it for granted. This shows that Lithuania is unwilling to change its stance on China and continues to exert pressure in the form of a blacklist.
Earlier, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Landsbergis said that China had lifted "economic pressure" on Lithuania. However, while continuing to blockade Chinese people, Lithuania has not shown a response to China's release of "economic pressure". This shows that the Lithuanian side does not pay enough attention to the thaw in relations between the two countries, and also exposes its dissatisfaction with China's concessions and its unwillingness to correct its mistakes.
Lithuania** regards the "Taiwan Representative Office in Vilnius" as a sensitive issue. The Chinese side has been asking Lithuania to change the name of its Taiwan representative office, but Lithuania has stubbornly insisted that it be named "Taiwan". This shows Lithuania's erroneous behavior on the Taiwan issue and a serious violation of the one-China principle. The Chinese side did not ask Lithuania to change the name of the Taiwan representative office when the "economic pressure" was lifted, but the Lithuanian side's insistence and non-cooperation on the China issue further exacerbated the deterioration of relations between the two countries.
The blacklist of Lithuania** has not only had a serious impact on relations between the two countries, but also on Sino-European relations. As the EU intervenes in the bilateral friction between the two countries, this has become a major issue in Sino-European relations. In order to ease the tension in China-EU relations, the Chinese side adjusted its policy towards Lithuania and took friendly measures before the China-EU summit. Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung believes that these measures will help reduce the pressure on China-EU relations and lay the foundation for the smooth holding of the China-EU summit.
As early as June this year, the EU said that it would help Lithuania solve economic and trade problems and force China to remove the so-called "economic threat". The EU has announced that it will impose additional tariffs on countries that carry out "economic threats" and will file a lawsuit against the ** dispute between the two neutral countries. These measures have greatly affected the economic and trade cooperation between the two sides. The blacklist on the Lithuanian side has further exacerbated friction between the two countries and brought new challenges to Sino-European relations.
Despite the problems in relations between the neutrals, the Chinese side did not ignore the wrongdoing of Lithuania. ** Spokesperson Wang Wenbin and Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shu Jueting both stressed that the Lithuanian side should correct its mistakes, return to the correct track of one China, and create favorable conditions for neutral economic and trade cooperation. After the "economic pressure" was lifted, the Chinese side explicitly demanded that the Lithuanian side correct its erroneous behavior on the Taiwan issue. However, Lithuania has so far not shown a willingness to correct its mistakes, but has continued to block China and turn a deaf ear to China's friendly measures, which has further deepened the contradictions between the two sides.
The persistence and stubbornness of Lithuania have made the deterioration of relations between the two countries unstoppable. China is a country that advocates peaceful development and strengthens cooperation, and has never posed a threat to other countries. Lithuania's hostile actions towards China not only run counter to the facts, but also undermine efforts for regional peace and stability. In the face of the behavior of small countries provoking big countries, Lithuania needs to recognize the current situation, re-examine its China policy, and seek ways of dialogue and cooperation with China to achieve common development and mutual benefit.
To sum up, Lithuania** has put China on the "threat" blacklist and banned military personnel from traveling to China, demonstrating its hostility and non-cooperation towards relations between the two countries. Although China has lifted economic pressure on Lithuania, Lithuania** has not responded effectively. The unrepentance and continued provocations of the Lithuanian side have further deteriorated relations between the two countries and have also had a negative impact on Sino-European relations. In response to the issue of neutrality, the Chinese side once again stressed that Lithuania should correct its mistakes and return to the right track of one China. It is hoped that Lithuania will be able to deal with the problem rationally and find common ground in friendship and cooperation with China in order to promote the development of relations between the two countries.