Lithuania and Germany coordinating actions over China’s pressure – econmin

VILNIUS – Lithuania and Germany are coordinating actions over China’s economic pressure on Lithuania, Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite said on Tuesday after a meeting with Franziska Katharina Brantner, parliamentary state secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

“We hope that Germany will actively support the initiative of France, which is currently holding the Presidency of the EU Council, to roll out, as soon as possible, a new anti-coercion instrument that could be used specifically in special circumstances, for instance, in a situation similar to that in the area of Lithuania’s relations with China,” a press release from the ministry quoted Armonaite as saying.

During the meeting, Brantner reassured of support for Lithuania, the ministry said.

Lithuania’s businesses could use the services of offices of the German Chambers of Commerce in their lookout for new markets, Brantner said adding that Germany continued to view Lithuania as an attractive location for investment.

The German politician also pointed out that the European Union (EU) should have a unified foreign trade policy and should speak with a single voice with third countries.

In 2020, Germany ranked first among Lithuania’s top markets for services exports, accounting for 15 percent, or 1.6 billion euros, of Lithuania’s total exports of services. Bilateral trade amounted to 6 billion euros.