The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday passed a bipartisan resolution in support of Lithuania’s relationship with Taiwan.
Lithuania faced retaliation from Beijing for allowing Taiwan to open the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius in November last year, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between the two. China reacted by recalling its ambassador from Vilnius and expelling Lithuania’s ambassador from Beijing. It also imposed economic sanctions against Lithuania, including the suspension of direct freight train services to the Baltic state.
The resolution, introduced by US senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen on Nov. 5 last year, commended the Lithuanian government “for its resolve in increasing ties with Taiwan and supporting its firm stance against coercion by the Chinese Communist Party [CCP].”
Photo: Bloomberg
The Senate “commits to supporting Lithuania and Taiwan in the face of these challenges, including by exploring ways to increase economic cooperation with both counties,” it says, adding that the Senate “encourages European allies to continue to stand in solidarity with Lithuania against aggression from the government of the People’s Republic of China.”
The Senate “supports Taiwan in its struggle against CPP malign influence, coercion and aggression, which threatens not only the Taiwanese people and countries in the Indo-Pacific [region], but also any nation around the world that enacts policies or positions that are inconsistent with those of the CPP,” it added.
In a joint news release, Risch, a Republican, said that “Lithuania deserves recognition for its decision to stand with Taiwan, despite the backlash it receives from Beijing.”
Photo: Reuters
“Our resolution sends a signal to all our allies that when you make the moral choice to stand with a fellow democracy and stand up to coercive authoritarian pressure, you can trust your allies will be united with you,” Risch said.
Shaheen, a Democrat, added that the “committee’s bipartisan approval of our resolution sends a powerful message to China that the US will not sit idly by as it seeks to impose its views and use economic manipulation against Lithuania and other democracies throughout eastern Europe.”
“Now more than ever, the US must take every opportunity to make clear to authoritarian regimes and strongmen around the world that we will not tolerate malign behavior that threatens our world order or the stability of liberal democracies,” Shaheen said.
The nonbinding resolution next goes to the Senate floor for a vote.
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