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EU abandons WTO case against China over alleged coercion of Lithuania
Brussels ends its challenge after saying flows have resumed, though critics note Lithuanian exports to China remain far below 2021 levels
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Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels
The European Union has formally terminated a long-running dispute with China at the World Trade Organization, centred on Beijing’s alleged coercion of Lithuania in 2021.
In a statement circulated to WTO members, the bloc said it was abandoning the case “considering the key objectives behind this dispute have been met and relevant trade has resumed”.
The case arose after Lithuania permitted the opening of a controversially named “Taiwanese Representative Office” in its capital, Vilnius.
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Soon after the office opened, Lithuanian exporters found they could no longer ship products to mainland China. The country’s details had been wiped from the official Chinese customs system, they said.
In November 2021, customs data showed the value of shipments fell by 91.4 per cent compared to a year earlier. The virtual wipeout led the commission, which manages the trade policies of the EU’s 27 member states, to launch a case at the WTO.
01:48
Taiwanese supporters queue up to buy Lithuanian rum held up by mainland China
Taiwanese supporters queue up to buy Lithuanian rum held up by mainland China
Beijing always denied that there was any official boycott of Lithuanian goods, even as it downgraded diplomatic ties with Vilnius.
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