Big-Nation Diplomacy by Small Country: Hard to Get Instant Results
By Chang Kuang-chiu
United Daily News, January 8, 2022
Even though President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania thought it a mistake to set up a representative office for Taiwan in Lithuania with “Taiwanese” in the title, Secretary of State John Blinken of the United States immediately called on foreign ministers of 12 countries in the Middle East and Western Europe to express his support for the decision. Two days later, President Nauseda changed his tone and said he supported the establishment of the representative office. The problem was of course that the office was established as a representative office under the name “Taiwan,” rather than “Taipei,” which is the norm in other countries.
President Nauseda stated that the name of the office must be accepted by all parties and in line with international commitments and should not harm the interests of Lithuania. Whether this statement was to combat political opponents domestically or to ease pressures from Beijing, it reflects the desire of the country to separate politics and economy, to continue economic and trade relations with Taiwan—as discussion that does not import the issue of sovereignty.
In fact, concessions have already been made in the naming of the office. Originally, it was to be named with the term "Taiwan" instead of “Taiwanese” which is the current decision: a small difference in spelling but a huge difference in terms of sovereignty. This was decided to reduce political sensitivity and prevent protests from China. As a response and to discourage other countries from following suit, Beijing has exerted extreme economic pressure on Lithuania, going as far as condemning products from other countries that contain ingredients from Lithuania. Such tactics evince China’s deep disdain for the decision and the lengths it is willing to go to make its position clear.
Although our government has done its best to help Lithuania to minimize its economic losses: buying Lithuania rum, investing $200 million in Lithuania’s semiconductor, laser, and biomedical technology industries, and actively importing its dairy and grain products — the results of these investments cannot be realized overnight. Taiwan’s import market is limited and cannot expand or accommodate much volume. This is compounded by the distance between the two sides and the fact that Lithuania is surrounded by autocratic countries. Taiwan's efforts will only be a drop in the bucket, and as we say, distant water cannot put out a nearby fire.
As much as we might want to take advantage of the existing anti-China sentiment in the world arena, international politics is about power and strength. Even with the support of the United States and the European Union, to leverage Lithuanian model in the hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough is too optimistic. Furthermore, such support has only been in the form of words, rather than a large-scale and concrete economic assistance program. On this front, Taiwan is fighting alone.
No one should doubt that President Nauseda is pro-America and anti-Communist, indeed, none of his statements detract from Taiwan-Lithuanian relations. However, Lithuania is, after all, a small country on the Baltic Sea with limited international influence. With that understanding and in a similar position, Taiwan should plan a diplomatic strategy that is in our country's best interest.
We can start by asking the United States to agree to change the name of our office to the Taiwan Representative Office, leading others to follow. We can then ask the United States to sign a free trade agreement as soon as possible to strengthen Taiwan's international economic market. With this support at least, Taiwan will continue a role better held by a larger country.
The author is associate professor at the Chihlee University of Technology.