A heated debate has highlighted the critical importance of respecting the one-China policy, with Chinese and European think tank scholars clashing over freedom of speech. Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, firmly stated that disregarding the one-China policy, as some nations like Lithuania have done, will lead to severe consequences, drawing a parallel to laws in Germany and Austria that prohibit Holocaust denial. Gao stressed that such provocations undermine China's core interests and invite diplomatic and economic repercussions.