European Union opens case against China at WTO in view of its economic boycott against Lithuania

The European Union on Thursday (27 January) launched a case against China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in  response to a Chinese economic boycott of Lithuania. China has been boycotting imports and exports from the Baltic state since Lithuania allowed Taiwan to establish a Taiwanese Representative Office in its capital, Vilnius, and deepened ties with Taiwan. 

China considers Taiwan a renegade province, Taiwan sees itself as an independent democracy. The country maintains friendly ties with Western allies such as Australia and the United States. The opening of the Taiwanese office is therefore sensitive for China. Beijing has been pressuring countries to weaken or break their ties with Taiwan.

The decision to open a case against China was "not taken lightly", EU Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, said in a statement. "However, after repeated failed attempts to resolve the issue bilaterally, we see no other way forward than to request WTO dispute settlement consultations with China. The EU is determined to act as one, and act fast, against measures in breach of WTO rules which threaten the integrity of our Single Market. We are in parallel pursuing our diplomatic efforts to deescalate the situation".

Dombrovskis further said the EU is pursuing diplomatic solutions to the dispute. Brussels has also raised the issue with China itself in recent weeks. The United States has indicated its support for the EU and Lithuania.

The WTO will now investigate whether and how China is violating trade rules. If China and the EU cannot reach a solution themselves in the meantime, the WTO will pass judgment in a few months.
 

source: commonspace.eu with agencies
photo: The Latvian EU Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis. EPA

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
EU interior ministers reach "historic" agreement on migration, but significant opposition remains

EU interior ministers reach "historic" agreement on migration, but significant opposition remains

Interior ministers from the European Union's 27 member states reached a deal on the bloc's migration policy yesterday (8 June) after some 12 hours of negotiations at a meeting in Luxembourg. The agreement outlines how responsibility for looking after migrants and refugees who arrive in the EU without authorisation is shared out among member states, a topic which has been the source of much disagreement since 2015, when well over 1 million migrants and refugees entered the EU, many of them fleeing the war in Syria. Under the deal agreed yesterday and set to be finalised ahead of a 2024 EU election, each country would be responsible for a set number of people, but would not necessarily have to take them in. Countries unwilling to receive irregular migrants and refugees arriving ad hoc to the EU would be able to help their hosting peers through cash - around 20,000 euros per person - equipment or personnel, reports Reuters. The agreement would introduce a new expedited border procedure for those deemed unlikely to win asylum to prevent them from lingering inside the bloc for years.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
EU interior ministers reach "historic" agreement on migration, but significant opposition remains

EU interior ministers reach "historic" agreement on migration, but significant opposition remains

Interior ministers from the European Union's 27 member states reached a deal on the bloc's migration policy yesterday (8 June) after some 12 hours of negotiations at a meeting in Luxembourg. The agreement outlines how responsibility for looking after migrants and refugees who arrive in the EU without authorisation is shared out among member states, a topic which has been the source of much disagreement since 2015, when well over 1 million migrants and refugees entered the EU, many of them fleeing the war in Syria. Under the deal agreed yesterday and set to be finalised ahead of a 2024 EU election, each country would be responsible for a set number of people, but would not necessarily have to take them in. Countries unwilling to receive irregular migrants and refugees arriving ad hoc to the EU would be able to help their hosting peers through cash - around 20,000 euros per person - equipment or personnel, reports Reuters. The agreement would introduce a new expedited border procedure for those deemed unlikely to win asylum to prevent them from lingering inside the bloc for years.