Lithuania's insistence on approving the establishment of the so-called "Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania" seems to have set off an "anti-China" wave throughout Europe.
According to the Global Times, on December 1, the Irish Senate passed a new resolution, in addition to the so-called "human rights" issue to attack the mainland, there are five other articles related to the Taiwan region.
The resolution, introduced by 17 MPs including McDowell, who had served as Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland, called on the Irish government to firmly support the so-called "political freedom" of the Taiwan region, and also asked the Irish government to refer to the practices of other EU countries to enhance "interaction" with the Taiwan region. Intentionally or unintentionally, it seems to imply that the Irish government, like the Government of Lithuania, has approved the establishment of the so-called "Taiwanese representative office in Ireland" in Ireland.
The significance of this implication is by no means merely "to show attitude", but to the possibility of implementation. At present, the Taiwan region has a so-called "representative" stationed in Ireland, and this representative has expressed his position many times before, hoping that the Irish government can reopen its office in Taipei to promote "interaction" between the two sides.
To this end, our embassy in Ireland also responded at the first time. The response begins by pointing out that this motion clearly violates the one-China principle and is a gross interference in China's internal affairs. At the same time, my embassy in Ireland urges Irish politicians to respect China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity and abide by the one-China principle in order to maintain the stable development of China-Ireland relations.
In fact, when Lithuania took the lead in "provoking" China, many voices expressed fear that Lithuania's behavior would become a "model" for other countries, thus triggering a "broken window effect" and causing more countries to join Lithuania's ranks. In the end, we were overwhelmed, and now Ireland's actions seem to confirm this.
But in fact, we don't have to worry about it. On the one hand, Lithuania has already paid a considerable price in order to counter China. Recall of ambassadors, diplomatic demotion, in addition to these visible countermeasures, Lithuania's domestic economic situation has also been affected by hostilities with China, and many Chinese companies that have trade with Lithuanian enterprises have cancelled their contracts out of consideration for the future of the two countries.
Coupled with the infestation of refugees on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, the Lithuanian government has recently been "overwhelmed". This situation and China's resolute attitude are also seen by other countries in the world, so I am afraid that not many countries are willing to fall into the current situation of Lithuania. The motion passed by Ireland this time is also jointly drafted by some "anti-China" parliamentarians in Ireland, and does not fully represent ireland's national will.
In the final analysis, it is just that some parliamentarians are trying to use the "anti-China" stance to "put gold" and "rub" the "heat" of their political careers. What they can do is only "make a statement" and a "statement", and I am afraid that they do not have the courage to do it in specific economic and trade fields and foreign policy.
This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Ireland, which has so far become Ireland's largest trading partner in Asia and Ireland's fifth largest trading partner. In the first half of 2021 alone, the total trade between the two countries has exceeded 9 billion euros.
Cooperation between the two countries is concentrated in a number of areas such as technology, medicine, software services, agricultural and sideline products, and for Ireland, Chinese products have become an indispensable part of its market. If Ireland is still obstinate and insists on following Lithuania's foreign policy and "going further" with the Taiwan region, then Ireland will inevitably end up with the same fate as Lithuania.