Canada has asked to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks on the ongoing trade dispute between China and Lithuania, media reported citing Global Affairs Canada.
"Canada has requested to join consultations as part of the EU's dispute with China at the WTO, in our interest in promoting and defending the multilateral trading system," Canada's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday, according to Sputnik News Agency.
Furthermore, Global Affairs Canada noted that Ottawa is concerned by China's trade action, opposes economic coercion, and stands with like-minded countries.
From December last year, China began to heavily restrict or de facto block imports from and exports to Lithuania, or linked to Lithuania. The Commission has repeatedly raised the matter with the Chinese authorities.
The European Commission said it has built up evidence of the various types of Chinese restrictions. "These include a refusal to clear Lithuanian goods through customs, rejection of import applications from Lithuania, and pressuring EU companies operating out of other EU Member States to remove Lithuanian inputs from their supply chains when exporting to China," the commission said.
Responding to the WTO case, Beijing said so-called China's "coercion" of Lithuania is groundless and distorts facts.
"The problem between China and Lithuania is a political, not an economic one. They were caused by Lithuania's acts in bad faith that hurt China's interests, not China's pressure on Lithuania," said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a press conference.
( With inputs from ANI )
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