It is the second time that the Commission decides to suspend the case. This was first done in January 2024. Based on the WTO rules, hearing of the case may be suspended for a year at most.
According to LRT, the Commission has doubts if it can be legally proved that China had imposed trade restrictions on Lithuania. Therefore, the case was suspended on 27 January for the second time hoping that the pause can be used to continue collecting evidence.
The case at the WTO was opened in 2022, when China introduced unannounced sanctions on Lithuanian imports, which might have violated WTO rules.
Lithuanian businesspeople informed the government about encountering restrictions soon after the Taiwanese Representative Office was opened in Lithuania at the end of 2021. China objected to the use of the name of Taiwan rather than Taipei, which it regards to be its breakaway province.
Beijing claimed that the „one China“ policy was violated and started pressuring Lithuania by economic and diplomatic means. Imports to China were limited and the level of diplomatic representation was downgraded from ambassadorial to chargé d’affaires.
