On Wednesday, senior American, French, German, and British foreign policy representatives held a telephone conversation, during which they expressed support for Lithuania amid growing Chinese political and economic pressure.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss “highlighted their solidarity with Lithuania in the face of escalating political pressure and economic coercion by the People’s Republic of China and rejected those practices”, according to the press release of the US Department of State.
The US secretary of state and his counterparts also discussed “the importance of continued coordination to deter any further Russian aggression against Ukraine” and affirmed that the allies would impose “massive consequences and severe costs on Russia for such actions”.
Relations between China and Lithuania have deteriorated after Vilnius decided to deepen ties with Taiwan, which is seen as a breakaway territory by Beijing.
China is reportedly pressuring multinationals to drop Lithuanian suppliers if they want to continue doing business with Beijing.
Earlier this year, China halted freight trains to Lithuania and stopped issuing food export permits. It also cut credit limits and raised prices for Lithuanian companies, and removed Lithuania from its customs systems.
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