A collection of 68 posts
Czechia’s Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky says one of his country’s goals when it heads the EU Council is to clarify the EU’s relationship with China. In an interview with Politico, Lipavsky spoke of Prague’s objectives in its 6-month stint in the rotating presidency, which begins in
A failure to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia could lead to World War 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Fareed Zakaria on Sunday morning in their interview on CNN. The President said he was ready to have direct negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. While offering that Ukraine
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine held a fourth round of peace talks on Monday, aiming for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops, and security guarantees for Ukraine. Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of office for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, told the BBC that Moscow’s approach was becoming “more
Russian state media outlets are reporting that Moscow has announced another humanitarian ceasefire to allow civilians to flee. Civilians continued to evacuate Ukrainian cities such as Mariupol, Sumy and Kyiv on Tuesday, but authorities said shelling continued in some areas and it was unsure whether humanitarian aid shipments would reach
French Trade Minister Franck Riester said the EU will resolutely back Lithuania in its escalating trade war with China, on Sunday, Euractiv reported. Riester underlined that the small Baltic nation was “a victim of coercion from Beijing” after meeting his opposites numbers in Marseille. As the current holder of the
Taiwan will extend a USD 1 billion credit line to Lithuania as a gesture of solidarity with the Baltic country, and to help to offset the trade embargo that China has imposed on it. The fund aims to develop Lithuania’s biotech, finance, semiconductor and satellite industries. “We recognise and
Taiwan will set up a USD 200 million investment fund for Lithuania to offset economic pressure from China, it announced Thursday. Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tseng Wen-Sheng said “Taiwan & Lithuania are like-minded partners bound by an unshakeable belief in freedom and democracy. We’ll overcome China‘s threat
Construction of the Mateševo-Smokovac section of Montenegro’s 41-kilometre long Bar-Boljare highway is set to be finished in January 2022. Now, how the country’s largest-ever infrastructure project, built and financed by Chinese interests, will be paid for remains in question. Not only has Montenegro’s largest-ever infrastructure project gone
China is allegedly pressuring Continental AG to stop using components made at the German car parts manufacturer’s subsidiary in Lithuania in retaliation for the Baltic country allowing Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in its capital Vilnius, Reuters reports. Continental AG, one of the world’s largest car
The Balkans region of south-east Europe has attracted at least 135 China-linked projects worth at least EUR 32 billion in the last decade, according to a new report by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network BIRN. In a wide-ranging investigation entitled “China in the Balkans: Controversy and Cost”, the outlet found
China is leveraging its influence over multinational companies operating there, instructing them not to do business with Lithuania, or else. For the tiny Baltic country, that means not having access to Chinese markets. It’s the latest volley in a row with Lithuania over it having allowed Taiwan to open
Czechia’s Pirate Party candidate for foreign minister Jan Lipavsky met President Milos Zeman, who reportedly opposes his appointment, on Tuesday ahead of the formation of the new government. Ministerial assignations have been delayed since the incoming coalition parties beat former prime minister Andrej Babis in early October, in part
An official visit of a Slovakia delegation to Taiwan is drawing the ire of China. Senior officials from Bratislava, who arrived on Sunday, are looking to deepen ties with the self-governed island nation, which China claims as its own territory. Another EU member state making a visit to Taiwan is
Serbia and Hungary are the Eastern European countries most exposed to Russia and China, a new study found. Czechia and Romania are most resilient CEE states regarding Russo- and Sino-influence , according to the Globsec Policy Institute report. Over two years and in eight countries, the Bratislava-based think-tank looked at five
Taiwan has opened what it calls its Representative Office in Lithuania, defying China’s attempts to dissuade Vilnius from allowing what could be considered a de facto embassy for the self-governed island. Taiwan’s foreign ministry says that via the opening of the office, Taipei and Vilnius will deepen economic