WASHINGTON — In March 1990, Lithuania became the first republic to break away from the Soviet Union, declaring itself an independent state.
Then this decision was welcomed by the White House.
Thirty-three years later, this Baltic nation of about 2.7 million people is taking bold steps to confront China, the rising global power of the century.
In this, she finds support from Washington, as the Biden administration tries to use transatlantic partnerships amid fears in the West that Beijing is considering supplying arms to Russia in its war with Ukraine.
High-level bilateral consultations took place in Washington between Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific region Kurt Campbell.
The statement said they discussed “a shared commitment to democratic values, human rights and the maintenance of a rules-based international order” as well as “the importance of resilient supply chains. as diplomats call for policies to counter China’s influence.
“We have a long history of helping Lithuania resist Chinese coercion and trying to turn that coercion into economic opportunity,” National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters.
“We will continue to work together to strengthen the strong economic partnership between Lithuania and Taiwan, to ensure Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international forums, and to develop and deepen people-to-people ties,” Kirby said, using the language of Landsbergis and of the secretary. of the Anthony Blinken Joint State Statement.
Tensions have escalated in recent years with the expansion of Lithuania’s diplomatic and trade relations with Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers a province.
A few days after the opening of the “Taipei Mission in Lithuania”, which actually plays the role of an embassy, Beijing lowered the level of diplomatic relations and blocked most exchanges with Vilnius, explaining this as a violation of the “One China Policy”.
China’s actions prompted the EU to file a complaint against the World Trade Organization for “discriminatory trade practices” against Lithuania.
According to the European Union, they threaten the integrity of the EU single market. Beijing denies banning Chinese companies from doing business with Lithuanian partners.
Before these events, Lithuania had a very modest volume of trade with China, so the trade measures taken by Beijing had a limited effect.
In November 2021, the United States provided $600 million under an export credit agreement to help the country resist pressure from China.
Washington also backed the WTO lawsuit in favor of Vilnius.
