The Federal Foreign Minister and her French counterpart confer at the EU Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Brest.
(Photo: imago images / photothek)
Berlin, Brussels, Beijing In the far west of France, in the port city of Brest in Brittany, the foreign ministers of the EU this Thursday are talking about the Far East, or more precisely: the increasingly problematic relationship with China. “China’s attitude towards certain member states of the Union, which are experiencing great political, economic and economic pressure,” is how the French hosts put it in the agenda.
It is above all the economic boycott that China imposed on Lithuania at the end of the year that worries Europeans. The rulers in Beijing want to punish the Lithuanian government for allowing Taiwan to open a representative office under the name Taiwan. The Chinese government sees this as breaking a taboo.
However, Beijing’s reaction was so drastic that China’s leadership is challenging the entire EU. The Chinese stir up maximum uncertainty. Sometimes Lithuania is deleted from the People’s Republic’s commercial register, sometimes it reappears for a short time.
In certain ports, individual containers come through from time to time, then they are stopped again. Other ports remain completely sealed. German, French and Dutch companies that purchase intermediate products from Lithuania must also fear an import ban for their goods.
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Even before her departure, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) made it clear what is important when dealing with “autocratic actors”: “If Europe follows a common course and acts as one, it is a heavyweight – if it acts split, it fights under its weight class . “
“Instrument against coercive measures”
The reason for the clear words: German companies in particular are affected by the Chinese trade war against Lithuania, above all the German auto industry. Shortly before Christmas it became known that the government in Beijing was pressuring the German auto supplier Continental to stop using components made in Lithuania. “The Chinese have completely overdone,” grumbled an EU diplomat. The sanctions against Lithuania have an impact on the entire internal market, which is unacceptable for the EU as a whole.
In Brest, therefore, it is also about possible countermeasures. It was only in December that the EU proposed an “instrument against coercive measures”: if the member states and parliament approve the initiative, the Commission could in future respond to sanctions from third countries with its own sanctions. So far, countermeasures require the consent of all Member States. A high hurdle that weakens Europe’s international position, as Jonathan Hackenbroich from the European Council on Foreign Relations emphasized. “The EU has not yet had an answer to economic coercive measures, one cannot strategically allow oneself.”
The EU’s trade armament is controversial among the member states. But the conflict with China could now help Europeans to agree on a common line for dealing with counter-sanctions faster than expected.
In addition, the Europeans are considering initiating proceedings against China at the World Trade Organization (WTO). However, such a lawsuit would probably take several years to complete and would not provide any immediate remedy.
The fact that Franziska Brantner, parliamentary state secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, had only traveled to Lithuania on Monday shows how important the issue is to the federal government. “It is our task to defend the internal market together,” said the Green politician to the Handelsblatt.
The Federation of German Industries (BDI) has also clearly positioned itself: “We are very concerned about how quickly the EU and individual EU countries’ relations with China are deteriorating,” the association affirmed its warning from December.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry denies having put pressure on multinational corporations, but confirms that Chinese companies do not see Lithuania as a trustworthy partner.
Relations between Lithuania and China have continued to deteriorate over the past few months. It was only earlier this week that Taiwan’s announcement of an investment program for Lithuanian companies caused renewed trouble in Beijing. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the attempts by the Taiwanese authorities to use ‘dollar diplomacy’ to expand the scope for activities related to ‘Taiwan independence’ are futile and doomed. The state newspaper “Global Times” warned of a “violent reaction from mainland China”.
There has been a crisis between Vilnius and Beijing for a long time, but tensions escalated in August 2021. At that time, Lithuania was the first EU member state to let the Taiwanese government open a representation under the name Taiwan. Beijing regards Taiwan as part of Chinese territory and therefore does not recognize the island nation and requires countries wishing to maintain diplomatic relations with China not to have any official relations with the country either.
Germany also adheres to it, but still maintains an exchange with Taiwan. Instead of official diplomatic branches, Taiwan only has unofficial offices in the Federal Republic and most of the other large industrialized countries, which operate under the name Taipei Representation. In Lithuania, however, the office is now called “Taiwan Representation”.
More: Conflict with Lithuania: China is putting automotive supplier Continental under pressure