China says EU should not allow Lithuania to hijack their ties

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry said that the European Union should not allow Lithuania to hijack their relations, after the trading bloc launched a case against Beijing over what it called discriminatory trading practices versus the Baltic state.

The China-Lithuania issue is political, not economic, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular briefing in Beijing. A row between China and Lithuania erupted after the Baltic state allowed the opening of the Taiwanese Representation office in Vilnius.