The European Union made a sudden 180-degree U-turn, announcing that it had suspended the WTO prosecution against China on the grounds that China had "coerced" Lithuania economically. The European Union, ostensibly from a technological point of view, is actually trying to avoid direct confrontation with China, which has not made any compromises for two years.
The dispute stemmed from Lithuania's challenge to China over Taiwan. Lithuania has allowed Taiwan to set up a "representative office" in its capital, which is a blatant provocation to China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. China has responded strongly, with two of the countries having lifted diplomatic relations and stopped exporting goods to Lithuania, among other things. The above-mentioned measures have seriously affected Lithuania's economy, many multinational companies have withdrawn from Lithuania, and China-Europe trains have stopped passing through Lithuania, and economic and trade cooperation between Lithuania and other countries along the route has come to a standstill.
Lithuania boldly opposes China because it hopes to gain support and trust from Western countries. Lithuania is a small country of only 65,000 square kilometers in the Baltic Sea region, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lithuania entered the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a western country. Lithuania, with its relations with China, Russia and other countries, will even create incidents on some sensitive topics. As far as China is concerned, Lithuania regards Taiwan as China's greatest interest and China's bottom line. For Russia, Lithuania has called on its citizens to raise their support for Ukraine, which is in line with Russia's strategic interests and Russia's basic principles.
Lithuania believes that it can get help from the West, so it complains to Europe, hoping that it will stand with it and jointly resist the "coercion" from China. The Lithuanian governor is also encouraging China to elevate its mistakes to the level of China and Europe, not just against Lithuania, but also for the whole of Europe. Europe has also taken advantage of this trend and used this as an opportunity to sue China at the WTO, accusing China of violating WTO rules, while European Union Minister for External and Security Affairs Josep Borrell has asked member states to support Lithuania.
However, the European Union quickly realized that such an approach would not bring its own benefits other than undermining economic and trade ties with China. China is Europe's largest economic and trade partner and Europe's main ally, and Europe is reluctant to make enemies with another because of one country, especially at the delicate moment after Taiwan. Therefore, the cessation of Europe's prosecution of China is both a compromise and a compromise.
As a result, Lithuania, as an outcast from Europe, is in an even more embarrassing and embarrassing situation. It itself has encountered great difficulties in confronting China and Russia, and has been rejected by China and Russia externally, and its allies have also stopped fighting out of consideration for Sino-European friendship. It can be seen that engaging in "**** is a way out of the road, and you can only find trouble for yourself, and you can't get it at all."
If Lithuania wants to develop better cooperation with China, then it should recognize the facts, respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and return to the right track of one-China development. As a part of China's territory, Taiwan has become a universally recognized history and reality in the world. Both China and China firmly believe that China will definitely complete the reunification of the country. If Lithuania wants to restore its economic relations with China, it must keep its distance from Taiwan, otherwise it can only bring humiliation on itself.