US, Germany to stand against China's intimidation to Lithuania, affirms Antony Blinken

The United States and Germany on Wednesday, Jan. 5 expressed concern about China's aggression and its attempts to bully Lithuania.  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a presser said that  Beijing is trying to coerce the European and American companies to stop doing business with Vilnius, adding that Beijing “poses a significant challenge to our shared values.” Both the US and Germany also agreed on the importance of transatlantic coordination against Chinese belligerence, reported ANI. 

"We have an immediate concern about the Government of China's attempts to bully Lithuania, a country of fewer than three million people. China is pushing European and American companies to stop building products with components made in Lithuania or risk losing access to the Chinese market, all because Lithuania chose to expand their cooperation with Taiwan," Blinken said in a joint statement on Wednesday. "We also agreed that together, we will continue to build, across the board, an affirmative vision for the future because fundamentally, this is about what we're for together, not what we're against," he added. 

US will stand up against Chinese intimidation: Blinken 

Blinken reiterated that Washington will strengthen cooperation with the allies and partners, including Germany to stand up against the Chinese intimidation. The US Secretary of State also pledged to strengthen the economic resilience with ally Germany, “diversifying the supply chains, and countering all forms of economic blackmail,” the US Secretary of State stressed. Blinken categorically reminded that the US and its allies "will continue to stand together against flagrant human rights abuses by the Government of China and advocating for universal human rights around the world.”

Just last month, Blinken spoke with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and reaffirmed the importance of robust defence and economic relations between the two nations for the security and prosperity of the Transatlantic region in the face of Chinese aggression. Blinken underscored the Biden administration’s ‘ironclad solidarity with Lithuania, the NATO Ally and EU partner as it faces geopolitical challenges and threats from China that risk regional stability, security, and economic prosperity.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price had earlier asserted that Washington and the Foreign Ministers of various countries included in the Bucharest 9 group were standing in support of Lithuania and were ready to "deter” any People's Republic of China’s coercive moves. 

China has drawn down diplomatic relations and has stepped up coercion tactics against Lithuania for the opening of the de facto embassy under the name ‘Taiwan’ in its capital Vilnius. PRC kicked out the Baltic nation from the customs registry in retaliation for its move. Self-ruled democratic island Taiwan is being claimed by China as its own ‘breakaway province’ and China threatened to use force against the ‘independent’ forces. A bilateral spat between Beijing and Lithuania intensified as the latter strengthened ties with Taiwan.