Lithuania announces it will quit ‘divisive’ China cooperation group
- Recently, Lithuania has taken steps that angered Beijing, including the blocking of Chinese investment and announcing a trade office in Taiwan
- Lithuania’s move is the latest indication of the deteriorating relationship between China and the European Union
Lithuania said on Saturday it was quitting China’s 17+1 cooperation forum with central and eastern European states that includes other EU members, calling it “divisive”.
A member of the group since 2012, the Baltic country urged fellow European Union members to also leave amid deteriorating ties between the 27-member bloc and China.
“Lithuania no longer considers itself a 17+1 format member and does not participate in this initiative,” Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told Agence France-Presse.
The minister called the cooperation platform “divisive” from the EU’s perspective and urged EU members to pursue “a much more effective 27+1 approach and communication with China.”
“Europe’s strength and impact is in its unity,” Landsbergis said.
Lithuania’s move is the latest indication of the deteriorating relationship between China and the European Union.