Australia’s push to resist Chinese coercion has been backed by another country that recently also found itself on the bad side of the economic giant.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis spoke alongside Australian counterpart Marise Payne at Parliament House on Wednesday in a show of unity.
“For quite a while, Australia was one of the main examples when China was using economy and trade as a political instrument or one might say even as a political weapon,” Mr Landsbergis said.
“Now Lithuania joins this exclusive club … but it is apparent that we are definitely not the last ones.”
Lithuania recently found itself the subject of alleged economic attacks by China over the naming of a “Taiwanese Representative Office” in its capital Vilnius.
In most countries, such offices are named under the Chinese-preferred title of Taipei representative offices.
As a result, China recalled its ambassador from Lithuania, restricted Lithuanian goods clearing its customs and allegedly pressured European companies to remove Lithuanian goods when exporting to China.
Last month, the European Union launched a case against China with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over what it termed “discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania”.
Australia faced similxjmtzywar consequences for sticking its head out and calling for an official inquiry into the origins of Covid-19, among several other perceived slights against China including “targeting” Chinese companies with foreign interference laws.
Under the guise of legitimate trade concerns, China stamped hefty tariffs on Australian barley and wine exports, and created additional barriers on products including timber, coal and crayfish.
Senator Payne said the more countries openly resisting China’s use of economic and diplomatic coercion, the greater the effect would be.
“The more that we are able to share our views and to articulate our views, the more we are sending the strongest possible message about our rejection of coercion and our rejection of authoritarianism,” she said.
Overnight, outspoken Chinese Foreign Ministry representative Zhao Lijian accused Lithuania of trying to “rope other countries in to gang up on China”.
“The ins and outs of the fraught China-Lithuania relations are very clear,” Mr Zhao said.
“China always follows WTO rules. The so-called ‘coercion’ of China against Lithuania is purely made out of thin air.
“China urges Lithuania to face up to the objective facts, mend its ways and come back to the right track of adhering to the one-China principle.”
