China removed Lithuania from its customs registry | Hacker News Reader

China removed Lithuania from its customs registry

lrt.lt

44 pointsphearme27 comments

The EU let tiny Belarus divert a domestic EU flight and kidnap an EU resident with 0 repercussions. Lithuania is commendable for their actions regarding Taiwan, but the craven EU is unlikely to desire conflict.

> The EU let tiny Belarus divert a domestic EU flight and kidnap an EU resident with 0 repercussions

https://www.euronews.com/2021/06/04/brussels-bans-belarusian...

Sorry, I meant to say 0 repercussions for the government. The EU did punish the totally innocent civilians like you pointed out.

EU was already had multiple sanctions in place.

Did you want EU to bomb Belarus??

Western MSM narrative is Lithuania standing up to PRC. But reality is Lithuania and other NATO baltic buffer states with little trade with PRC trying to assert relevancy to US foreign policy after US retreat/pivot to Asia. US rewarding Lithuania with 600M in export credits as agent for US interest of elevating TW status in EU, and Taiwan rewarding Lithuania laser industry with preferential contracts for TSMC.

EU reaction over PRC always mixed. EU parliament likes to signal over human rights, EU commission more pragmatic, and so far large EU countries like France, Germany, Italy have been quiet / doesn't appreciate small countries like Lithuania starting shit on behalf of US interests that undermine their interests. Overall clever self-interested play by Lithuania foreign policy.

TLDR for background, PRC downgrading Lithuania diplomatic relationship over opening "Taiwan" instead of "Taipei" representative office (defacto embassy), which contravenes PRC interpretation of One China Policy. Now trade shenanigans of which there isn't much between PRC and Lithuania.

I don't know about the deal with US. But I think investing into Taiwan trade relationships has greater potential because forced technology transfer to China is no secret and that negates all benefits of such a big market. Lithuanians risk getting booted by their own technology in hands of state-backed company.

EU has been mostly neutral on US-Sino competition so US using Lithuania to insert/forward US foreign policy to undermine the bloc and rewarding Lithuanian accordingly. Right now it's trying to elevate TW global presence. It's old game US plays with baltic states who require NATO (read US) protection against Russia.

PRC is building indigenous laser for semi anyway, Lithuanian laser was never in the running. Lithuania actually exports more to PRC than vice versa. Entire point of them being first to withdrawal from 17+1 was because PRC underdelivered on east EU trade/investments.

Unlike west EU, Lithuania has little to lose and much more to gain supporting US interests. On the flip side, major EU powers low key do not like idea that small baltic states like Lithuania has this much influence and will act accordingly. There history of transatlantic drama with US using desperate security partners to undermine EU policy in general.

So China has sanctioned EU goods? Either the EU responds or the EU is no longer a common market.

> Either the EU responds or the EU is no longer a common market

Until Merkel is out of office, the EU isn't going to do anything to antagonise Russia or China.

> Until Merkel is out of office, the EU isn't going to do anything to antagonise Russia or China.

So until next week?

The future minister of foreign affairs Baerbock has stated that Germany will take a stronger position against China.

What that means I have no idea. I don't expect any tough measures against the increasingly aggressive and oppressive regime there.

No. China sanctioned Lithuanian goods.

It wasn't the EU official policy that opened a Taiwanese office, it was Lithuanian official policy.

Likely because Lithuania opened up a diplomatic office for Taiwan. I hope they hold strong and don't fold.

Opened diplomatic office? Those monsters!!

Seriously, China is super sensitive if you don't do exactly as they demand. Mention Tibet and all the sudden you are Hitler 2.0 in China

It’s an interest contradiction: the so-called “wolf warrior” diplomats and CCP apparatchiks go out of their way to project China as this mighty invincible superpower, yet when some 17 year old says “Congratulations to the Taiwan national athletes” they go all “you hurt the feelings of the Chinese people”.

Super sensitive superpower, China is.

People aren't forced to buy from you if you do something that upsets them.

In the words of the old saying, "Business is business, Solomon".

Or in the words of the other old saying, "Never let your ego get in the way of your cash flow." Play silly games, win silly prizes.

The EU has trade agreements with China. Lithuania is part of the EU. China is breaking those agreements for reasons that are not covered by the trade agreements.

China is the one playing silly games.

According to that logic it was the EU, not Lithuania, that upset the Chinese by opening a Taiwanese office. So maybe China is sanctioning the EU as such accordingly, and therefore correctly.

If the EU can sanction other entities, it can also be sanctioned by other entities.

> So maybe China is sanctioning the EU as such accordingly, and therefore correctly.

In which case, the EU is bound by the terms of the common market to retaliate.

Big Stick, Common market removes China from it's customs registry list??

Then you could see empty shelves in EU, Brexit is absolutely nothing in comparison.

I keep hearing that argument and I am inclined to believe this is some sort of Chinese propaganda. Walking through the local ikea in Northern Europe for example, I find it’s hard to find anything made in china these days.

I checked the last three pieces of electronics I bought also and none were made in china. One in Thailand and two in Vietnam.

It can’t be food, so not sure which shelves are going to be empty here except for the baskets in the supermarket with cheap junk toys.

It's not Chinese propaganda. According to the UN, China accounts for more than 28% of global manufacturing output.

https://www.statista.com/chart/20858/top-10-countries-by-sha...

Walking through the local ikea in Northern Europe ....

That's different. Last time I bought some stuff from Ikea (in Australia), it was marked "Made in China"

So the middle aisles in Aldi and Lidl will be empty! Oh no!

With historical inflation? No way, political suicide

Poland's last foreign ministers (Waszczykowski and Rau) have been inane. Nature doesn't like vacuum. Poland more or less left the stage, and Lithuania is trying to fill the niche.

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