The leader of Lithuania's Social Democratic Party (LSDP) has criticised the government's approach to China and its handling of the Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius.
Talking to the radio Žinių Radijas, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, a member of the European Parliament and the social democratic leader, said that if her party had been in power, it would not have signed off on opening a “Taiwanese” office instead of “Taipei's”.
“We would not have made a decision that leads to economic warfare,” Blinkevičiūtė said on Friday.
She criticised the government's policy towards China, calling it “unprofessional”.
In November, Lithuania welcomed Taiwan's representative office in Vilnius, drawing ire from China which sees the island as part of its territory. In particular, Chinese representatives said they objected to the name of the office referring to Taiwan rather than Taipei, as the island's representations are called in most countries.
Lithuanian businesses have reported facing obstacles when exporting to China, although Beijing insists it is not sanctioning Lithuania.
Although Lithuania's direct exports to China are negligible, its export-oriented economy relies on firms supplying components to big internationals that trade with China. According to media reports, China has been pressuring firms to drop Lithuanian suppliers.
Read more: Foreign investors in Lithuania raised concerns about China’s pressure, says minister
According to Blinkevičiūtė, this could seriously hurt Lithuania economically next year.
“No one knows what China decides next and what effect this will have on our economy, industry, our businesses and people's lives,” she said. “This needs to be evaluated.”
Earlier this week, the government set aside 6 million euros to help affected businesses and said it was seeking the European Commission's approval for a 130-million-euro package of working capital loans.
“I can see what decisions they [the government] are making,” Blinkevičiūtė commented. “They say, we'll compensate businesses from people's taxes because they'll be hurt by the government's ill-considered decisions.”
The Social Democratic Party currently has 13 seats and the fourth-biggest group in the Lithuanian parliament.
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