EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis warned in an interview published on Friday that the blockade of Lithuanian imports imposed by China in response to Vilnius’ rapprochement with Taiwan is increasingly affecting companies in other EU member states as well.
In a conversation with the German newspaper Die Welt, Dombrovskis said that the European Commission (EC) had checked the information provided by Lithuania about the blockade.
“We are worried that we are increasingly receiving news from other Member States about blocking imports,” the commissioner said. “Obviously, Chinese customs do not process goods from other EU countries if they contain components from Lithuania.”
Dombrovskis added that there are many cases when goods imported from Lithuania and the EU have been stopped in Chinese ports, and the number is growing every day.
He added that the blockade appears to affect both large and small loads.
“Given the huge daily trade between the EU and China, it’s no wonder that [apturēto preču] is growing rapidly, ”said the commissioner.
He noted that the EC was using both political and diplomatic channels to resolve the conflict and that he had spoken to the Chinese ambassador to the EU about the situation.
However, if these efforts fail, a request will be made for submission to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
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