Image for illustrative purpose only. Source: Pixabay
Taipei, Jan. 30 (CNA) Taiwan "respects" the European Union's (EU) decision last week to suspend its dispute against China at the World Trade Organization (WTO), a senior diplomat said Tuesday, but he still condemned Beijing for the trade embargo that triggered the case.
Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) Department of European Affairs, said Taiwan's government respected the EU's decision to suspend the case involving a de facto trade embargo against Lithuania due to closer Taipei ties.
The government, however, continues to condemn Beijing over the "illegal economic sanctions" targeting Vilnius, Huang said.
"We continue to express our support for Lithuania as well as toward the rules-based international economic and trade order," Huang said in Taipei.
Huang delivered his criticism after being asked to comment on a note circulated by the Geneva-based WTO on Jan. 26 saying that the EU had requested to "immediately suspend its proceedings" with China.
"This is a procedural step taken for technical reasons related to the need to assess certain elements arising from the preparation of written submissions," Olof Gill, the European Commission's spokesperson, said Saturday.
The panel is suspended "for the time being," he said.
Brussels formally launched its WTO dispute in early 2022 after Beijing imposed trade restrictions against Lithuania in late 2021 because Vilnius deepened its ties with Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory.
China was particularly angry that Lithuania allowed Taiwan to use the name "Taiwan" on its representative trade office in Vilnius, an unprecedented departure from previous practice implying that Taiwan was a sovereign state.
The case also dealt a blow to relations between Beijing and Brussels, with the EU accusing China of discrimination and coercion against its member Lithuania.
According to Huang, Taiwan, as an official member of the WTO, also took part in the EU-China WTO case proceedings during which Taipei expressed its support to Lithuania and the rules-based world order.
Even though the case has been suspended, Huang said the dispute motivated Brussels to boost its own trade arsenal.
One of the tools deployed was an anti-coercion instrument, which effectively allows the European Commission to investigate whether economic coercion has taken place against an EU country and to propose countermeasures, he said.
Relations between Taiwan and Lithuania have warmed since 2021, with the two sides signing an agreement in July of that year to open reciprocal representative offices.
Taiwan opened its office in Vilnius on Nov. 18, 2021, with Huang serving as Taiwan's first representative to Lithuanian until earlier this month.
The Baltic state, however, came under heavy political and economic pressure from Beijing following a decision to let Taiwan's office in Vilnius include the word "Taiwanese" in its English name and "Taiwan" in its Chinese name.
In response, China recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and expelled Vilnius' envoy in Beijing, while also suspending direct freight rail services and certain Lithuanian imports.
Taiwan typically names its overseas representative offices "Taipei Economic and Cultural Office" or "Taipei Representative Office," in keeping with the host countries' preference to avoid any references that imply Taiwan is a country and is separate from China.
Beijing, which sees Taiwan and mainland China as both being part of the same country, has sought to impose a political cost on Lithuania for its decision to allow the inclusion of "Taiwanese" in the name, seeing such moves as encouraging formal independence.
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