European Union countries on Monday accused Russia’s military of committing war crimes in Ukraine, but appeared unlikely to target the country’s energy sector with sanctions soon despite a clamour across Europe for those responsible for attacks on civilians to be held to account.With civilian deaths mounting in the besieged Ukrainian …
Read More »Blinken tells China to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The US has warned China that “actions speak louder than words”, after Beijing continued to offer tacit support to Russia while also showing willingness to help broker peace in Ukraine.In Vilnius on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken equated China’s support for Russia with its alleged economic coercion of …
Read More »Lithuania won’t back down over Taiwan, says minister in Australia
Lithuania’s foreign minister on Thursday used his visit to Australia to double down on Vilnius’ move to stand up against Beijing, and to call for like-minded rules-based countries to counter growing “economic coercion” from nations like China and Russia.Gabrielius Landsbergis, who was in Canberra to open a new diplomatic mission, …
Read More »EU to hold talks with China ahead of WTO case over Lithuania dispute
The European Union is set to hold talks in the coming weeks with China over its alleged breach of global trade rules in a dispute with Lithuania – as the bloc moves forward with the early stages of a World Trade Organization (WTO) case.Beijing agreed to the request for consultation …
Read More »Diplomatic manoeuvres continue to avert Russia-Nato clash over Ukraine
With war clouds gathering over Ukraine, international diplomacy goes into overdrive on Monday with the French and Russian presidents to talk in Moscow and the German chancellor heading to the White House to meet US leader Joe Biden.Also on Monday, the German, Czech, Slovak and Austrian foreign ministers were expected …
Read More »Slovenia tries to head off row with Beijing over Taiwan office
Slovenian officials have attempted to head off a potential dispute with China by clarifying that any Taiwanese diplomatic presence in the country will refer to “Taipei” rather than “Taiwan”.The move comes amid speculation that the Alpine nation would follow Lithuania in hosting a “Taiwanese representative office”, seen by Beijing as …
Read More »Lithuania’s China exports almost wiped out amid Taiwan row
Lithuania’s exports to China suffered a near-total collapse in December, amid a blazing row over the Baltic state’s support for Taiwan.Chinese government customs data released on Thursday showed shipments from Lithuania to China dropped by 91.4 per cent last month from a year earlier.Compared to November 2021, the drop was …
Read More »Top Chinese law official warns of major threat from external forces
A senior official in China’s top law enforcement body singled out pressure from external forces as a major threat to the country on Sunday, saying it complicated the country’s political and legal activities.Wrapping up a two-day annual meeting in Beijing, Chen Yixin, secretary general of the Central Political and Legal …
Read More »EU seeks to de-escalate Lithuania-China feud but takes no further action
The European Union’s top diplomats hope to de-escalate Lithuania’s dispute with China as they also seek to secure a summit meeting with Beijing before the end of March.Following a two-day session of the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers in the French port city of Brest, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell …
Read More »Lithuania says Belarus will keep testing West | The Express Tribune
VILNIUS: Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Sunday that the NATO military alliance needed to adjust its stance towards Belarus, whose military, he said, was becoming more integrated with Russian armed forces. Nauseda told a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and European Commission President Ursula von der …
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