Attempts to talk with China hit a wall: Lithuanian conservatives continue to block Lithuania's trade with the world's factory - China

It is clear what they are doing all this for - at the expense of all of us to gain a foothold among stupid villagers, to portray tough fighters.

 

     "Lithuanian Conservatives in the Seimas do not agree that Lithuania should try to restore diplomatic and economic relations with China, and send a message about this. On the contrary, in the opinion of politicians, it is better to turn away from communist China and look for safer markets, otherwise we may suffer greatly.

 

     The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is somewhat more moderate on this issue: on the one hand, there is a belief that freedom from China will eventually become an advantage, joy is expressed that Lithuanian business has found something to turn from this market into, on the other hand, it is expected that China will cooperate with Lithuania.

 

     Lithuania's aspirations and appeal to China

 

     After China applied measures of economic and political pressure against Lithuania, the export of Lithuanian goods to this country fell.

 

     On Monday, while participating in the "LRT Forum" program, the Minister of Economy and Innovation, Aušrinė Armonaitė, said that she wants trade with China to recover, that is the goal.

 

     "This is a violation of international trade agreements by China's applied unofficial, undeclared sanctions." They are intended for goods leaving Lithuania, but have an effect on the common market of the European Union. In other words, it is not Vilnius' fault that Beijing applied sanctions to the organization represented by Brussels, the common market <...>. Lithuania did not choose to cut trade ties with China. I would like trade to recover and the European Union, the European Commission is making efforts to make this happen," said the minister.

 

     "Of course, we want to open up exports to China, who will still need it, no one wants to be subject to sanctions that are undeclared, that are unclear - one day meat, the next day hi-tech, the next day anything. This is inappropriate behavior," she noted.

 

     On Tuesday, Asta Skaisgirytė, the president's chief adviser on foreign policy issues, expressed a similar position.

 

     "Lithuania said even at the height of the conflict that it does not want to break diplomatic relations, it does not want to send the ambassador home, that it wants to continue cooperation acceptable to both sides. If China hears this cry of ours, I think it will be possible to normalize relations," the advisor commented to "Žinių radijas" as quoted by ELTA.

 

     She noted that the European Union and Lithuania's allies seek to maintain friendly relations and "not get angry" with the world's second largest economy, but this, in A. Skaisgirytė's opinion, should be done with caution.

 

     President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed to BNS on Wednesday that China is changing its stance on cooperation with Lithuania and is showing a willingness to discuss. He discussed this issue with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Davos.

 

     Pavilionis: Expanding relations with China would be a mistake

 

     However, in the opinion of Žygimantas Pavilionis, a conservative and chairman of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs, it would be a mistake to develop relations with China and to send signals about it from Lithuania, primarily because China's foreign policy is acquiring more and more Stalinist features.

 

     "China does not allow us to choose, China, by not allowing us to expand relations with Taiwan, essentially forces us to choose only it, although we have not formally established diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we have not opened a diplomatic mission, as they claim. It's just that the branch ministry opened its representative office, just like Taiwan opened a representative office that expands economic, political, cultural ties, but it is not a diplomatic representative office.

 

     China chose to be angry, China chose to restrict relations, China chose economic sanctions. I think that if she chose that way, she should withdraw from that step", commented the MP in Delfi.

 

     However, he expressed doubts that China will change its attitude regarding relations with Lithuania.

 

     "I don't think China will back down from a policy that is primarily against Taiwan. This, frankly, will also depend on our success in Ukraine. If Ukraine's "victory" is consolidated, I think there is a possibility that China will reduce its aggression and intentions directed against the entire democratic order in the world, which it does not want. By itself, I don't believe that such retreats would take place", said Ž. Pavilion.

 

     In addition, he emphasized that China seeks deeper relations with Russia, and Lithuania does not want to have anything to do with it.

 

     "I don't know if any politician in Lithuania should recommend expanding relations with a state that supports Russia. I think it would be a mistake", assessed Ž. Pavilionis.

 

     Analogy with Russia and Belarus

 

     In his opinion, Lithuania's relations with China should develop in the same direction as we applied to autocratic Russia and Belarus - we should distance ourselves as much as possible, find alternative markets.

 

     "We are always on the right we said that this (relations with Russia and Belarus - Delphi) is dangerous, but they did not believe us.

 

     As a former diplomat and as someone who has worked in foreign policy for almost 30 years, believe me, I see no prospect of the communist Chinese government changing itself. It will not change, for now it is becoming more and more hawkish, more and more reminiscent of Stalinist Russia and, of course, it is learning, watching. But I don't see a future [with her], just as I didn't see a future in relations with Russia and Belarus," said Ž. Pavilion.

 

     Therefore, according to him, Lithuanian strategists, politicians, diplomats should feel responsible towards business, warn about the danger of relations with autocratic states and at the same time call for the development of trade relations with democratic, technologically developed states of the free world in the Indo-Pacific region, the same USA, Germany .

 

     "My call as a politician is to stick with the most advanced, most stable states that do not threaten our freedom and democracy. Seeing how China is behaving, I really wouldn't bet on any relationship. Because what will happen, tell me, if one day in the morning we wake up and see a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait?" - asked the chairman of the Seimas committee.

 

     A sudden termination of relations would cost the Western countries closely connected with China more than the rejection of Russia, the politician said.

 

     "Knowing that such a morning may come, because Communist China reminds us of that morning every morning, I would certainly not bet on developing relations with Communist China, because we have chosen: we are on the side of the United States, NATO, we are on the side of freedom, and we will definitely not change these sides." , - asserted Ž. Pavilion.

 

     Maldeikis: The fewer relationships, the less pain

 

     Another conservative, member of the European Affairs Committee of the Seimas, Matas Maldeikis, also spoke about the fact that businesses that have established trade relations with China, or will do so in the future, face risks and they will only increase. According to him, the business must take those risks into account.

 

     "Where China is going, we will not be able to talk about any big business or cooperation. In the entire free world, in 5-7 years, the main topic will be how to break the trade chains as quickly as possible, however painfully.

 

     Because where China is going, how autocratic it is becoming, what goals it has towards the free world - not only to occupy Taiwan, but in general the communists have clearly set themselves the goal of becoming the dominant state in the world by 2049 <...> - the US will not accept this, the European The Union will not put up with this, and it is only a matter of time before we have very sharp conflicts with China. Therefore, the less relations we have with China now, the less painful it will be for us to end them later," commented M. Maldeikis to Delfi.

 

     In his opinion, the business that found alternatives should not return to the Chinese market regardless of the normalization of relations between Lithuania and China. The politician said he had a feeling that China would pursue this.

 

     "From what I sense, China would like to quickly resolve this issue and forget about it and go back to cooperation as it was before." It was small, but politically we at least had embassies, although we didn't have big investments," M. Maldeikis taught.

 

     China, which refused to accept Lithuanian goods, limited diplomatic relations, sought to cause confusion in Lithuania and overthrow our Government, assessed the member of the Seimas, and all this, according to him, did not fly.

 

     "Now, from being an example that China wanted to show the whole world what happens (when we do something China doesn't like - Delphi), we become a good example of what happens when we break the chains with China." The Chinese understand this very well and they would like this example to be resolved as soon as possible", commented the MP.

 

     Landsbergis: We are free from China, that will be an advantage

 

     After Beijing applied measures of economic pressure against Lithuania, the USA, the European Union, Taiwan, Australia, and other countries took our side. And this, according to M. Maldeikis, is also an incentive for China to restore relations with Lithuania.

 

     "The ball is on China's side," asserted M. Maldeikis and said that Lithuania should not make any efforts for better relations.

 

     "No, Lithuania did not damage its relations with China, it was China that damaged its relations with Lithuania, because we did not violate the one-China principle, we did not violate a single commitment to China and to the international community, I mean the European Union," explained the conservative.

 

     "I think that in the short or medium term, let's say until 2030, this will become an advantage," said the head of diplomacy, quoted by BNS, at a forum organized by the US Chamber of Commerce in Vilnius.

 

     G. Landsbergis said that he notices the difference between how democratic and non-democratic countries treat business.

 

     "My thinking stems from the fact that a rule-based social order must be universal, it cannot be fragmented. May not care about human rights, but to care about business rights, they won't care anymore when they don't meet their interest," said the minister.

 

     Have expectations

 

     Despite this attitude towards non-democratic countries, G. Landsbergis's press representative Paulina Levickytė indicated that Lithuania expects cooperation based on respect from China.

 

     "Lithuania expects constructive cooperation with the People's Republic of China based on mutual respect.

 

     In bilateral relations with the People's Republic of China, Lithuania consistently adheres to the 1991 a bilateral agreement signed between the states, which defines cooperation in economic, scientific, cultural and other fields.

 

     The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly emphasized that Lithuania adheres to the "one China" policy and at the same time wants to develop cultural and economic relations with those countries and regions with which, as a sovereign state, it wants to develop", P. Levickytė said in her answer.

 

     She reminded that the European Commission initiated a case at the WTO due to China's economic pressure on Lithuania, and also that the diplomatic representation of China and Lithuania is no longer at the level of ambassadors, but at the level of chargé d'affaires.

 

     "Currently, the European Commission has initiated a case at the WTO regarding China's illegal economic pressure on Lithuania and the European Union (EU). And after the EU member countries agreed on the Legal Instrument preventing economic coercion, negotiations are already underway in the European Parliament.

 

     The EU is creating instruments so that the unprecedented pressure on Lithuania and the entire internal market does not happen again.

 

 In the agreement signed by Lithuania and the People's Republic of China, it is noted that the countries establish diplomatic relations at the level of ambassadors.In 2021 after the departure of the Chinese ambassador from Vilnius, and after the Lithuanian ambassador received Beijing's order to leave the country, diplomatic representation is carried out at the level of temporary affairs trustees", commented the spokeswoman.

 

     New "right directions"

 

     True, according to her, the Lithuanian business did the right thing, which, cut off from China, looked for other markets in the Indo-Pacific region and found them.

 

     "We are happy with the results of strategic diversification and the establishment of new markets for Lithuanian business in the Indo-Pacific region.

 

     New agreements with Taiwan on cooperation in the fields of semiconductors, life sciences, renewable energy, permits to export Lithuanian beef announced on Wednesday are another proof that the directions of economic cooperation chosen by the Government are correct", asserted P. Levickytė.

 

   

     After Lithuania withdrew from the "17+1" format uniting China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and later allowed the opening of a Taiwanese representative office, relations between Beijing and Vilnius worsened: as mentioned, the diplomatic representation was reduced to the level of trustees of affairs, which causes practical problems, for example, when issuing visas, China imposed sanctions on the some representatives of Lithuania, refused to accept goods exported by Lithuania, for which they can find substitutes.

 

     Compared with the same periods of 2020 and 2021, the export of Lithuanian goods to China in 2022 shrank significantly - by 86.8 percent, respectively and 81.5 percent.

 

     However, the Minister of Economy and Innovation assured that entrepreneurs have found alternative markets for trade.

 

     "The export of Lithuanian goods to other Southeast Asian countries increased by 40%, I have figures from January to November last year - 422 million. euros, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan and Australia, this is already growth," said A. Armonaitė in the "LRT Forum" program."

 

The fact that we can sell a little to Vietnam does not mean that we have to give up the huge Chinese market. This is pure nonsense and Armonaitė's propaganda. The Lithuanian President is crying out to China. Minister Landsbergis is showing his naked stinky rear end to China. Funny Lithuania, indeed.