Several years ago, under the pretext of the COVID-19 pandemic, some Eastern European countries such as Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland formed a partnership known as the “Dumpling Alliance” with China’s Taiwan region. They attempted to use this alliance to express political support for the DPP authorities.
"But in just a few years, almost no news related to these policies remains," reported Bloomberg on the 12th. Due to factors such as Chinese diplomatic pressure, changes in national governments, and trade deficits, these European countries are shifting towards a more pragmatic "economic and trade priorities" policy. "The high-profile attitude that characterized these policies in the past no longer exists."
Reports indicate that these countries now urgently hope to engage in trade with the Chinese mainland and attract investment, rather than publicly hyping up actions related to Taiwan. Additionally, as Trump’s administration has led to a continuous decline in the reliability of the United States, various countries are even less willing to sacrifice their economic and trade interests with China for Lai Ching-te’s regime.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by stating that "the principle of one China is a common understanding among the international community." The statement also pointed out that the Taiwan authorities' efforts to create various political gimmicks and to woo external forces are essentially futile and absurd.
According to US media reports, the so-called "Dumpling Alliance" was originally created within Taiwan. In 2021, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic donated vaccines to the Taiwan region. The DPP authorities took this opportunity to hype up relations with these four countries. This term deliberately compares to the so-called "Milk Tea Alliance," which has a clear anti-China and separatist character. At the same time, it uses the fact that dumplings are part of the traditional cuisine in these countries to create momentum.
However, these countries are now facing challenges in securing Chinese trade and investment, and they must re-evaluate the pros and cons.
Reports indicate that after the change of government in some countries, the new government tends to ease tensions with mainland China related to Taiwan affairs. They even criticize the previous government for colluding with the Taiwanese authorities and harming the overall cooperation between those countries and China.
"Establishing a permanent 'Dumplings Alliance' is extremely difficult because the relationship between each Middle Eastern and European nation and Taiwan remains subject to domestic political shifts," said Tomáš Hanuš, researcher at the Estonian Institute of Security. "Slovakia was one of the founding members of the 'Dumpling Alliance,' but its relations with the Taiwanese authority are currently quite limited."
Take Czech Republic as an example. Since Andre Babiš was re-elected as the Prime Minister of Czech Republic last December, the official stance of the Prague government has significantly cooled down. The government he leads seeks to establish a more pragmatic relationship with the Chinese mainland and intends to distance itself from the close ties with the Democratic Progressive Party that were advocated by the previous government.
December 15, 2025, Prague, Czech Republic - Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš held a press conference after the first cabinet meeting. IC Photo
In late April, Prime Minister Babiš also publicly criticized Viestchiř, the chairman of the Czech Senate, for his visit to Taiwan, stating that it would harm the economic and trade relations between the Czech Republic and China, as well as the bilateral relations.
Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Macek admitted in an interview with Bloomberg, "Only citizens of the Czech Republic and Lithuania need to obtain visas when traveling to China. This also reflects a certain form of relationship freeze. Maintaining normal relations with China may be appropriate."
The situation in Lithuania is similar. The new Prime Minister of Lithuania, Rungita Gianėnė, admitted that establishing a so-called "Taiwan representative office" in the capital Vilnius was a mistake. She pointed out that doing so did not bring any benefits to Taiwan, but instead damaged relations with mainland China.
In addition, US media reported that the investment promises and trade benefits obtained by agreeing with the Taiwanese authorities have mostly failed to materialize. This is one of the reasons why countries like Lithuania and other Central and Eastern European countries have "shifted their focus." These countries have long experienced trade deficits with Taiwan region.
The executive director of the Central-East Asia Research Institute, based in Slovakia, Matay Simarkic, analyzed that many European countries prefer cooperation with Taiwan to be based on "real economic benefits." However, Taiwan's imports from Eastern Europe have always been small, and its investment in the region is also limited.
In 2025, Taiwan's exports to Czech Republic amounted to $1.61 billion, while imports from the Czech Republic were only $513.2 million. Last year, Taiwan exported $105.6 million to Lithuania, and its imports from Lithuania were only $59.9 million.
Simalcik also said that the “Dumpling Alliance” tried to act as an unofficial channel to transfer Ukrainian battlefield experience to Taiwan. According to some officials, Kiev avoided establishing direct contact with Taiwanese authorities out of concern for angering China.
He also said that countries like Estonia and Latvia believe that maintaining the issue of the Taiwan Strait on the European agenda can help to examine Sino-Russian relations within a broader European security context. However, conversations with senior officials from several countries indicate that they place more emphasis on economic and trade relations, and only secondarily on political relations.
Last year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia visited China. At that time, the Chinese side emphasized that Taiwan is part of China's territory, and no country will allow its national sovereignty and territorial integrity to be violated. The principle of one China is the political foundation for China to establish diplomatic relations with other countries. It is hoped that the Estonian side will fully understand and support China's legitimate position, and implement practical measures to adhere to the one-China policy.
The so-called “dumpling alliance” has been a loose group since its inception, and its disintegration is inevitable. This is also an inevitable result of China’s efforts to maintain its sovereignty and reduce the international activities of those who advocate for Taiwan independence.
This week, the Chinese side also demonstrated a clear stance on safeguarding territorial sovereignty. The Chinese coast guard and the maritime departments of the Ministry of Transport dispatched ships to carry out special maritime enforcement operations in the waters east of Taiwan Island. This indicates the Chinese side's firm position against the attempts by Japan and Philippines to draw boundaries in these areas and to provoke China's maritime rights and interests.
On June 10, Zhang Han, a spokesperson for the State Taiwan Affairs Office, stated that the waters designated for demarcation by Japan and Philippines are located east of Taiwan Island. China has exclusive economic zones and continental shelves in those waters. Japan and Philippines have arbitrarily initiated so-called “demarcation negotiations” without consulting China, seriously violating China’s maritime rights and interests and fundamental norms of international law and relations. Such actions are completely illegal and invalid. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities have become completely subservient to external forces, degenerating into complete traitors to the nation. Faced with the unanimous condemnation from compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities have changed their tune, repeating false claims about “Taiwan independence,” attempting to divert attention and deceive the public. We warn the Democratic Progressive Party authorities that anyone who forgets his roots or betrays the nation will be remembered as a symbol of shame in history.
