Australia, Lithuania unite against Chinese economic coercion

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian and Lithuanian foreign ministers have called on like-minded countries to join forces against Chinese economic coercion. Australia and Lithuania have become conspicuous examples of the economic damage that can come with raising China’s ire. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis visited his Australian counterpart Marise Payne on Wednesday at Parliament House where they agreed to increase cooperation on opposing coercive economic practices. Australian exporters have lost tens of billions of dollars in recent years due to official and unofficial trade barriers that coincided with deteriorating relations with China. Lithuania recently suffered economic pain after agreeing that the Taiwanese office in Vilnius would bear the name Taiwan instead of Chinese Taipei.