TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Thursday (Jan. 13) said it is grateful for German and French support for Lithuania’s expanded relations with Taiwan and called on global democracies to stand with the Baltic nation.
Franziska Brantner, parliamentary state secretary for Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, traveled to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius Tuesday (Jan. 11) to meet with Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, Minister of the Economy and Innovation Ausrine Armonaite, and other officials. During the meeting, they discussed China’s economic pressure on Lithuania and possible EU decisions and measures to counter Chinese coercion on any EU member state.
Brantner also affirmed Germany’s solidarity and support for Lithuania.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also recently expressed support for Lithuania. During a National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday (Jan. 12), he underscored France’s commitment to using its presidency of the Council of the EU to promote anti-coercion measures and re-examine EU-China relations, the Liberty Times reported.
MOFA Spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安) said at a regular meeting on Thursday that Taiwan is thankful for the “voices of solidarity and justice.” She emphasized that the EU adheres to the concept of economic reciprocity and mutual economic benefits and promotes a free and open market, per the Liberty Times.
“The economic coercion imposed by obvious external forces on any member state is undoubtedly also economic coercion on the EU's overall market supply and production supply chain,” she added.
Ou criticized China's political and economic coercion for not only encumbering European economic and trade development and disrupting global trade but also impacting WTO member states’ economic development and the livelihoods of their people. She called on all democracies to stand with Lithuania and jointly reject China's coercion tactics and attempts to undermine international rule of law.
