The European Union is aware of issues with the clearance of Lithuanian goods by Chinese customs and is working on clarifying them, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th December, 2021) The European Union is aware of issues with the clearance of Lithuanian goods by Chinese customs and is working on clarifying them, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis said on Wednesday.
"The EU has been informed that Lithuanian shipments are not being cleared through the Chinese customs and that import applications from Lithuania are being rejected. We are in close contact with the Lithuanian government and are gathering information via the EU Delegation in Beijing in a timely manner. We are also reaching out to the Chinese authorities to rapidly clarify the situation," Borrell and Dombrovskis said in a joint statement.
The two also expressed the bloc's solidarity with Lithuania and affirmed Brussels' commitment to opposing political pressure and coercive measures applied to EU members.
If the information on the deliberate blocking of Lithuanian goods by Beijing is confirmed, the EU will assess China's compliance with its obligations under the World Trade Organization, the statement said.
Earlier in the day, the European Commission proposed a new legal tool to respond to deliberate economic pressure put on the bloc and its member states by third countries, citing specifically the Chinese-Lithuanian trade disruption.
Lithuania has lodged a complaint with the EU after several of its companies had their cargo held up in Chinese ports, after China allegedly removed the country from its customs system following a diplomatic fall-out.
China-Lithuania relations soured earlier this year after the Lithuanian government allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius. The Chinese government criticized the move and downgraded diplomatic relations with Lithuania to the level of charges d'affaires.
