President Gitanas Nausėda has called on the European Commission to continue an international trade investigation against China over alleged coercive activity targeting Lithuania.
Nausėda’s comment follows Bloomberg’s report that the European Union is considering dropping the World Trade Organization (WTO) case, which is currently suspended.
“In our opinion, there are still some issues, which are related to the fact that not all of the restrictions have been lifted,” the president told reporters on Sunday.
“Yes, I understand that presenting evidence and substantiating it is not simple. But it’s certainly within the European Commission’s capacity, so we encourage the EC not to give up, continue the case and expect a positive outcome,” he added.
Following the opening of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius, China in 2021 downgraded diplomatic relations with Lithuania and imposed trade restrictions.
Brussels brought the matter to the WTO in early 2022 but requested a temporary suspension of the case in late January 2023.
The EU’s executive body said at the time that this was a procedural step taken for technical reasons.
According to the WTO, if the suspension lasts longer than 12 months, the proceedings will be closed altogether. The deadline is set to expire in a week.
The EC says it has not yet taken a decision on whether to continue with the case.
“No decisions have been taken yet. We will be sure to keep you informed when they are,” Olof Gill, the EC’s spokesman on trade and economic security, said on Monday.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas told reporters that Lithuania’s position on this matter “isn’t the most important”, as the country is not directly involved in the case.
“It’s up to the Commission to decide, but the problem is probably that there’s a lack of evidence of active actions by the Chinese government in this case,” he said on Sunday.
According to Bloomberg, despite debates about dropping the case, Brussels has not yet made a final decision.
However, the potential EU move “frustrated officials in Washington, where the incoming (Donald) Trump team sees it as capitulation to Beijing”, the news agency wrote.
Trump has vowed to take a tough stance on China, and such an EU move would lead him to believe the bloc is seeking to maintain friendly relations with Beijing, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Officials from outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration are also “urging Europe to keep pursuing the case”, Bloomberg reported.
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