Bloomberg reports that the EU is considering dropping its @wto case against China due to a "lack of evidence" that China's sudden halt in trade with Lithuania was retribution for supporting Taiwan. Dropping the case is a bad idea, but don't worry, it gets worse.🧵1/6 - ThreadSky

glandsbergis.bsky.social • 36 days ago

Bloomberg reports that the EU is considering dropping its @wto case against China due to a "lack of evidence" that China's sudden halt in trade with Lithuania was retribution for supporting Taiwan. Dropping the case is a bad idea, but don't worry, it gets worse.🧵1/6

Comments

helena-belard-belo.bsky.social•36 days ago

@eucopresident.consilium.europa.eu Please resolve this in favor of the EU and do not submit to China!
China since 2022 is not trustworthy!

kisenosato.bsky.social•36 days ago

Again, those countries that aren't completely blinded by money and disinfo, better organize into new alliances. Nordics, baltics, Ukraine, Romania should form their own defence/trade alliances. France, Germany, and Italy will sell everybody, if it gains them a couple of euros more.

mjoelnir.bsky.social•36 days ago

The fact is they feel immune to such attacks and see no real obligation in standing with smaller nations.

In fact it is a rather delusional self image as no European countries are really big alone vs. China, Russia, India, Malaysia.

So their stance is in fact naive.

tomwlost.bsky.social•36 days ago

Its difficult to understand what type of evidence in a case like this can "disappear". The charges seem fact-related and these facts can be proven. The drop in trade is clear from trade stats, but question is of why trade dropped and how EC sought to prove it was retaliation.

1/

tomwlost.bsky.social•36 days ago

The main difficulty in a case like this is proving that all these events are "a measure", i.e., an official act, law, regulation, of the PRC government. As they havent been published, EC must prove that all these acts indicate the existence of some existing policy (measure) that can be challenged.2/

tomwlost.bsky.social•36 days ago

I think the main concern of the EC may be that since trade is picking up again and some of these problems have disappeared, China may argue that whatever the measure was, it has since been withdrawn, so there is nothing to challenge anymore. 3/

tomwlost.bsky.social•36 days ago

That said, the evidence of the past measure, whatever it was, must have been collected and gathered, so the claim of it disappearing or being no longer there is very very confusing. 4/

tomwlost.bsky.social•36 days ago

As a side note, I am curious why Lithuania hasn't decided to challenge the measure by itself. LIthuania is a country member of the WTO, so as a matter of WTO, it could have sued itself, not rely on EC. Of course EC Legal Service has enormous experience so its good to rely on them generally. 5/END

onlytruthcansolve.bsky.social•35 days ago

who is NOT SURPRISED? ..... this was the "true" objective

glandsbergis.bsky.social•36 days ago

Withdrawing without even waiting for the official ruling means abandoning the defence of the single market, accepting China's argument and allowing a precedent to be set. China could then attack any other country in the same way.🧵2/6

glandsbergis.bsky.social•36 days ago

Lithuanian customs data unquestionably show a sudden drop in trade from €300mln to zero in a matter of days. If the EU fought the case to the end, but didn’t win, there would be grounds to complain and demand a review of the way such decisions are made.🧵3/6

glandsbergis.bsky.social•36 days ago

Instead, by deciding to withdraw, the EU would be allowing these flawed practices to continue to frustrate justice for all victims, from the EU and elsewhere. We would be helping the WTO to legitimise bullying and thereby encourage it.🧵4/6

glandsbergis.bsky.social•36 days ago

Not only are we risking encouraging China’s bullying, the EU would also be snubbing the US at a very inappropriate time. If we wanted to convince Trump to view Europe with even more skepticism, capitulating to China right now would be a good way to do it.🧵5/6

glandsbergis.bsky.social•36 days ago

Lithuania, with the help of the EU, the US and other partners withstood China’s assault, survived, and flourished. Backing out now would be snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, making an unforced error we would surely regret.🧵6/6

glandsbergis.bsky.social•36 days ago

Source: Bloomberg
EU debates dropping China trade case
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-17/eu-debates-dropping-china-trade-case-frustrating-trump-advisers

barbcapo.bsky.social•35 days ago

and this would be horrible, but sadly expected by a rapist and convicted felon

hejodernoh.bsky.social•36 days ago

They already do it, e.g. by blocking graphite sales to Sweden.

cristian2023.bsky.social•36 days ago

EU, where the union falls short and the hypocrisy and cowardice runs rampant

roumigg.bsky.social•36 days ago

🤮

jacgdt.bsky.social•36 days ago

Unacceptable @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu @donald-tusk.bsky.social time to react @ec.europa.eu

alberthubble.bsky.social•35 days ago

Like always, 100 % on point!
On the other hand i wish people would buy less Chinese products, they are not only our enemy but the enemy of the Western way of live, the enemy of free Democracies!

hrobak67.bsky.social•36 days ago

100% !

We appeased putin's russia & and we (with a few exceptions) appease xi's china.

Appeasing an aggressor never pays off - never! It only emboldens the aggressor, being encouraged to keep on pushing.

Shall we never learn?

clement-saget.bsky.social•35 days ago

China is not our friend, China supports the worst dictators in the world, the very same who are actually at war with us 🤯

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply