The European Union (EU) should cancel its upcoming meeting with China, aiming to ease bilateral tensions unless China expresses a clear position on the war between Russia and Ukraine. A senior Lithuanian official said on March 16.
“It’s time to show China that we mean business. They support Russia on the one hand and take advantage of trade opportunities with Western countries on the other hand to play this vague role. You can’t expect it, you can’t expect results, “said Lithuanian adjutant Mantus Admenas. Said Reuters.
Three weeks ago, a group from 27 European countries, including Lithuania, said that. schedule A top-level, perhaps virtual meeting with China will be held on April 1 to ease growing tensions between the two sides. China-European relations have been frozen for the past year due to Beijing’s human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and deepening relations with Lithuania’s democratic Taiwan.
Still, Admenas said in an interview during his visit to Washington that “it’s not time for normalization.”
“In our assessment, it’s very untimely. Given recent developments, we need to either stop, or at least significantly postpone, until we know which side China is on,” he said.
Deputy Foreign Minister said Lithuania, a former Soviet republic concerned about Moscow’s broader intentions, “convinced a lot of things to do” to convince other EU member states that the summit should not proceed. Stated.
It came from US President Joe Biden calling Russia’s President Vladimirputin the first “war criminal” on March 16 since Moscow made a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. President Biden said he would send another $ 800 million. Military aid to Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials confirmed that on the same day of the 22nd day of the invasion, Russian troops bombed a civilian shelter in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, including a theater where hundreds of people were evacuated. .. So far, more than 2,500 people have died in the city.
Beijing has been constantly distant from the conflict between Russia and the West, as most of the world is working in unison to condemn Russia’s aggression.
In a recent move, the Chinese government supported Moscow in a UN vote on March 16 and opposed a decision by the UN Supreme Legal Body to order Russia to “stop” military operations in Ukraine “immediately.” Beijing has never called the Russian attack an aggression or accused it of aggression.
Beijing accused Lithuania after the Baltic states announced in July last year that they would exchange a representative office with Taiwan. With Taiwan’s announcement to open an office in Vilnius, Beijing urged Lithuania to adhere to “One China Principles.”
But given the lack of a clear position on Russia’s aggression, the communist government did not respond to the unique words of state sovereignty, Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Said CNN earlier this month. Russia allegedly requested China for military aid during a military operation in Ukraine, but officials on both sides have denied that claim.
The EU filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization on January 27 against the Communist Party of China over discriminatory trade practices on behalf of Lithuania.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Rita Lee is a reporter for The Epoch Times, focusing on topics related to China. She started writing her Chinese version in 2018.