Since the announcement in July 2021 of the opening of a representation of Taiwan in Lithuania, relations have been difficult between Vilnius and Beijing. It is the industrialists who suffer the most. Added to this is a lack of coordination between the government and the president. To put everything back on track, a big meeting with ministers and representatives of the economic sector has been called because the pressures are growing.
With our correspondent in Vilnius, Marielle Vitureau
The first in Lithuania to see their exports blocked were the wood manufacturers. Then it was the turn of agri-food products. According to the Confederation of Lithuanian Industrialists, more than a thousand containers are waiting to be cleared by the Chinese.
Officially, however, Beijing has not imposed any sanctions on Lithuania. In the field of high technologies, a key sector of the Lithuanian economy, punishments are double-edged: impossible to export, but also to get supplies from China.
Anti-coercion instrument
” There is no longer any certainty, but China is the base country for supplying electronic equipment explains Kristijonas Vizbaras, head of one of the biggest laser companies.
Until this crisis, Lithuania exported 340 million euros to China per year. A figure that has lost many zeros in recent months. Vilnius therefore expects a lot from Europe. An anti-coercion instrument is under discussion in Brussels to punish countries that impose retaliatory measures for political reasons. Taiwan is also mobilizing. The island’s government recently announced a billion dollar line of credit for trade with Lithuania.
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