Lithuania overestimated its attitude towards relations between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe
Illustration: Chia Cheng/Global Times
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called on other countries to follow in his country’s footsteps and withdraw from the 17+1 cooperation platform between China and Central and Eastern European countries, Nikkei Asia reported on Tuesday. V. Landsbergis has just finished his visit to Japan, where Lithuania seeks to strengthen ties with the country that supports the US strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. Lithuania may hope that its anti-China rhetoric will become a springboard for Asia-Pacific trade blocs, but we believe that Central and Eastern Europe will not want to play along and become cannon fodder as Lithuania tries to please the US.
Lithuania, a small country with less than 3 million inhabitants, left its cooperation platform “17 + 1” in 2021. in May, a few weeks after the country announced that it would open a Chinese trade mission in Taiwan to strengthen ties with China. island . it is a small country, this policy is of great economic importance, but it seems that Lithuania wants to please Washington and impress America.
While the US is focusing on a “valuable alliance” against China, Lithuania has decided to repeat this trick once again. A report by the High Council for Refugees said on Tuesday that some European publishers are seeking to label alleged “human rights abuses” in China’s Xinjiang as “genocide”. With increasing conflicts in China-EU relations due to different ideologies, Lithuania may think that it has been given another opportunity to convince EU members to withdraw from the cooperation platform “17+1” and stand on the other side of China. During the previous month, Lithuania’s exports to several Asian and Pacific countries grew unevenly, so it hopes to curb the USA by using the “17+1” platform as a trump card against China.
However, G. Landsberg’s efforts to call on other Central and Eastern European members for a Chinese platform will not affect cooperation with those countries. It is simply childish for such a small country to try to participate in a major power rivalry.
The economic growth of many countries in the Eastern European region is mainly driven by exports. In the midst of a global pandemic that has brought many European economies to a standstill, some economists have called for the country to diversify its export markets due to insufficient demand in traditional European markets. For these Eastern European countries, China is the best option as they try to support exports.
Bilateral trade between China and CEE countries in 2012-2020. grew by an average of 8 percent per year, more than double the growth rate of China’s trade with the European Union. China and CEE countries can see great potential for cooperation in the future. Some economists estimate that in 2021-2025 China will import goods from Central and Eastern Europe worth 170 billion.
In addition, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, projects under China’s proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are proceeding as planned, with infrastructure construction attracting more investment in Central and Eastern Europe and job opportunities for local communities. The Belt and Road Initiative has significantly reduced transportation costs. Most of the goods traded between Western Europe, Eastern Europe and China are transported by road, mainly using railways, which will reduce transport costs. Infrastructure construction will benefit not only Central and Eastern European countries, but also Western European countries.
However, it cannot be denied that some European countries have complex feelings about the Belt and Road Initiative and the 17+1 Initiative. The United States may intensify its political maneuvering to pit Europe against China, giving countries such as Lithuania the ability to act as pawns. However, the actions of individual countries will not hinder the long-term practical cooperation between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Landsberg’s efforts to call for the “17 + 1” cooperation mechanism for shipments of Central and Eastern European countries are doomed to failure.
The writer is a correspondent for Global Times. [email protected]