From the recent geopolitical developments in Europe, it can be seen that Lithuania is getting more and more under the influence of the European Union and the United States. Foreign policy is the most important tool of a state after its sovereignty. It is the way an independent nation maintains its relations with the world. Losing the grip on foreign policy is equivalent to losing one’s sovereignty. This is what Lithuania is going through.
The US is calling the shots on the diplomatic relations between Vilnius and Taipei. On 2nd August, the US sent its House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to visit Taiwan. By doing so, the US violated the One-China principle. A few days later, Agne Vaiciukeviciute, the deputy Transport and Communications Minister of Lithuania, also visited Taiwan. She was not alone; a delegation of a dozen people accompanied her. The visit was supported by the US. In the following days, Lithuania went so far as to allow Taiwan to open its representative foreign office in Lithuania. All these actions are against the One-China principle.
Interestingly, the Lithuanian president, Gitanas Nauseda, revealed that he was not even consulted before making of the policy regarding the Taiwan foreign office. His exact words were, “I would think that, not the opening of the Taiwanese office, but the name of it was the mistake, something with which I wasn’t consulted”. This shows that the government of Lithuania is highly divided in implementing its strategies. Foreign intervention runs deep in its policy making. Even the president was not consulted while executing a crucial plan. It is clear that the way for these developments was discreetly paved by the US.
China, as expected, responded with anger. On August 12, China imposed sanctions on the deputy minister for following the US in violating the One-China policy. Beijing has lowered its diplomatic relations with Vilnius. It has also urged its multi-national corporations (MNCs) to do the same on a private level. Beijing further warned that Vilnius’ move inspired by the US might create further riffs in the diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Following the sanctions, the EU accused China of discrimination against Lithuania. It challenged China in the World Trade Organization (WTO). But the WTO is an economic body, not a political one. The dispute between the countries is a political one rather than an economic one. The bias in EU policies is clear as day.
The problem with the EU is that a few giants dominate this so-called ‘union’. Other nations have to follow what the masters decide. Lithuania is among the obedient states. The leadership of such countries fail to decipher that the collective policies of the union are actually the selfish and vested interests of the ruling elite of the union. It is a pity that the Lithuanian politicians do not realize this.
Gabrielius Landsbergis, the foreign minister of Lithuania, appears as a spokesperson of not his own country but the EU. He seems advocating the ambitions of the EU and the US rather than the goodwill of his own countrymen. Recently, he openly called the EU to put a ban on Russian tourists. Lithuania has nothing to gain from it. The EU and the US want to get back at Russia for its military operation in Ukraine. For them, Lithuania is just a means to an end.
Lithuania is being controlled by the powerful western countries. Both the EU and the US are dictating the foreign policy of Vilnius behind closed doors. This is earning Lithuania a great deal of distress. The reaction Lithuania gets from China and Russia by complying with the policies of the EU and the US shows that it gains nothing. It remains in loss by adopting the foreign policy model of these western entities.
