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Trade disruptions sparked by China-Lithuania tensions put Lithuanian economic growth at risk. The country’s deputy foreign minister says the row is a wake-up call for fellow Europeans. Photo: Shutterstock Images
ChinaDiplomacy

China-EU relations: Lithuania says its rocky ties with Beijing are a ‘wake-up call’ for Europe

  • Europe must ‘get its act together’ regarding China if it seeks credibility and partnership with the US, Lithuania’s deputy foreign minister says
  • Lithuania’s move to leave the 17+1 mechanism was not anti-China but pro-Europe, Arnoldas Pranckevicius tells security forum in the US
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China’s treatment of Lithuania is a “wake-up call” for Europe, Lithuania’s deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday while calling for the European Union to be united in its dealings with Beijing.
China demanded in August that Lithuania withdraw its ambassador in Beijing after Taiwan announced that its office in Vilnius would be called the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania.
The country of about 3 million people this year also withdrew from a “17+1” dialogue mechanism between China and some Central and Eastern European countries, which the United States sees as an effort by Beijing to divide European diplomacy.

Trade disruptions sparked by the tensions have posed a risk to Lithuanian economic growth.

“I think it is a wake-up call in many ways, especially for fellow Europeans to understand that if you want to defend democracy you have to stand up for it,” Lithuanian vice-minister of foreign affairs Arnoldas Pranckevicius told a security forum in Washington.

EU reiterates support for Lithuania in row with China over Taiwan

In order for Europe to be credible in the world and as a partner for the US, it had to “get its act together vis-à-vis China”, Pranckevicius said.

“China is trying to make an example out of us – a negative example, so that other countries don’t necessarily follow that path, and therefore it is a matter of principle how the Western community, the United States, and European Union reacts,” he said.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, is regularly angered by any moves that might suggest the island is a separate country.

Only 15 countries have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but many others have de facto embassies, which are often called trade offices using the name of the city Taipei to avoid a reference to the island itself.

China ‘made example of’ Lithuania to prevent domino effect, observers say

Lithuania’s move to leave the 17+1 mechanism was not anti-China but pro-Europe, Pranckevicius added.

“We have to speak in a united and coherent way because otherwise we cannot be credible, we cannot defend our interests, and we cannot have an equal relationship with Beijing,” he said.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Lithuania seen as ‘wake-up call’
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