A group of 41 EU lawmakers on Tuesday condemned China for its political and economic coercion of Lithuania, and called on leaders of the bloc to demonstrate solidarity with Vilnius.
The letter was initiated by Slovakian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Miriam Lexmann, who is cochair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
“We, the undersigned members of the European Parliament, resolutely condemn political and economic coercion of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) against Lithuania,” the letter said.
Photo taken from Miriam Lexmann’s Twitter account
The letter addressed European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and two other officials.
“The aggressive rhetoric of PRC officials, as well as the unexplained and undeclared measures which de facto constitute sanctions that ban Lithuanian-made products and those from other countries with Lithuanian components from entering the Chinese market are deplorable,” the letter said.
“Such unlegislated actions and practices violate not only all international and WTO rules of trade, but also directly impact underlying principles of the EU single market, and that is why they must be addressed by the European Union jointly,” it said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“We refuse any form of pressure and condemn threats regarding the independent right of countries to develop relationships with Taiwan in line with their national interests and shared values of democracy and human rights without foreign interference,” the lawmakers wrote.
They said that “failing to respond to the PRC’s actions would embolden it to engage in further coercion against Lithuania or any other EU member states in the future.”
They welcomed joint statements of solidarity with Lithuania by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock, while urging EU institutions to take stronger action.
“We urge EU institutions to follow suit and to take bold leadership in defending basic principles of the single market against the PRC intimidation. We cannot allow the PRC to undermine the EU’s basic values and principles,” the letter said.
The letter was also signed by German MEPs Reinhard Butikofer, Engin Eroglu and Helmut Geuking; Belgian MEPs Benoit Lutgen and Johan van Overtveldt; and other lawmakers.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the European lawmakers for backing Taiwan-Lithuania relations.
The signatories were MEPs from 18 EU member states and five major caucuses, showing that countering pressure from China has become an international and cross-party consensus in Europe, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry appeals to like-minded partners across the world to support Lithuania with concrete actions, which is to maintain supply-chain security, as well as a free and democratic market economy, it said.
Separately, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets on Monday also voiced her country’s solidarity with Lithuania.
Estonian Public Broadcasting on Tuesday reported that Liimets made the comment during a teleconference with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅).
The virtual meeting was convened to discuss the UN Security Council — of which Estonia had been a non-permanent member until December last year — and cybersecurity and human rights, the broadcaster said.
Estonia stands with Lithuania in its recent dispute with Beijing and considers human rights a fundamental issue where no compromise can be made, Liimets was cited as saying.
Additional reporting by Jonathan Chin
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS