Back Lithuania or face more coercion from China, lawmakers tell EU chiefs
- Inaction against unofficial trade embargo will allow Beijing to intensify ‘divide and rule’ practices and weaken European unity, MEPs warn
- Businesses from France, Sweden and other member states report they are becoming embroiled in China’s dispute with Vilnius over Taipei ties
In a letter seen by the South China Morning Post, a group of 41 lawmakers told EU chiefs that inaction “will also allow [the] PRC to weaken EU unity and intensify ‘divide and rule’ practices among the EU member states as well as seek to diminish the EU’s role globally”.
Lithuania became embroiled in a dispute with China after agreeing to host a “Taiwanese representative office” in Vilnius, a move that Beijing claimed breached the EU’s one-China policy.
While the common practice in Europe is for such de facto embassies to be dubbed “Taipei representative offices”, both Vilnius and Brussels strenuously deny that Lithuania has breached the policy.
Lithuanian businesses have found themselves blocked from China’s customs system, unable to fulfil export orders or import components made on the mainland.
The row has spilled over into other European countries: manufacturers from the likes of France, Germany and Sweden have reported having goods blocked at Chinese ports because they contained parts made in Lithuania.