China has eased ‘economic pressure’ on Lithuania, says Baltic foreign minister amid ‘ongoing’ talks

Diplomat’s revelation suggests halting of feud with Beijing over Vilnius permitting opening of controversially named Taiwanese office in its capital

Bilateral trade not fully restored, but it has been ‘more than compensated for’ through other Indo-Pacific countries, says Gabrielius Landsbergis

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Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis talks to journalists as he arrives at a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Published: 1:21am, 29 Nov 2023Updated: 2:29am, 29 Nov 2023

China has lifted its “economic pressure” on Lithuania, the Baltic country’s foreign minister said, as the two sides who have been at odds diplomatically move closer to what would be an unlikely detente.

Gabrielius Landsbergis said talks were ongoing to end a feud with Beijing that flared when Lithuania in 2021 permitted the opening of a controversially named Taiwanese office in its capital, Vilnius.

Soon after, Lithuanian exporters found they could not access China’s customs system, leading to a near-total drop in shipments to the country.

“I must highlight that, following discussions and various diplomatic processes, some of which are still ongoing at the World Trade Organization, most of the economic pressure measures against Lithuania have been lifted,” Landsbergis told Lithuanian news agency ELTA.

Taiwanese and Lithuanian flags displayed at the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2022. Photo: Reuters

“What I haven’t made so clear in the past is that Lithuania is no longer under any economic pressure from China,” he said, adding that while trade had not been fully restored it had been “more than compensated for” through trading with other Indo-Pacific countries.