The move follows China’s strengthening of ties with Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine is seen as a possible first step in a series of moves against countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. China has refused to criticize Russia and has condemned punitive economic sanctions imposed on Moscow by the West. Weeks before the invasion, Chinese President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing and declared their bilateral relations had “no limits” in a joint statement. The move also comes after Beijing launched economic and diplomatic retaliation against another Baltic state, Lithuania, in retaliation for its expanded ties with the self-ruled island republic of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and threatens to annex by force. China’s growing assertiveness and recent threatening military exercises near Taiwan have drawn strong reactions from the US, EU, Japan, Australia and others. “Taking into account the current priorities of Latvian foreign and trade policy, Latvia has decided to discontinue its participation in the cooperation framework of Central and Eastern European countries and China,” Latvia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The country “will continue to strive for constructive and pragmatic relations with China both bilaterally and through EU-China cooperation based on mutual benefit, respect for international law, human rights and order based on international rules,” the statement said. Estonia issued a similar statement, saying it “will continue to work for constructive and pragmatic relations with China, which includes promoting EU-China relations in accordance with the rules-based international order and values such as human rights.” “Estonia has participated in the Central and Eastern Europe-China Cooperation Format since 2012. Estonia has not participated in any of the format’s meetings since the summit last February,” the statement said. China created the forum to strengthen ties with EU members as well as Serbia and others, in part to promote Xi’s Belt and Road campaign to build bridges, railways, power plants and other infrastructure across Eurasia continent. China originally styled the forum as a “17 plus one” deal, but the number of European partners has now been reduced to 14. Critics say the forum was an attempt to exploit the differences between these states as part of a wider campaign to joining with Russia in undermining the current rules-based international order dominated by the US and its allies. Along with its stance on Ukraine, China has come under fire for firing missiles and sending ships and warplanes off the coast of Taiwan in response to a visit there by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. China strongly opposes all government-to-government contacts between Taiwan and countries that, like the US, maintain only informal ties with the island out of deference to Beijing. China did not immediately comment on the move by Latvia and Estonia, but Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Friday again defended the threatening military drills. “To defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity… China has every right to take decisive countermeasures in response to US provocations, and such measures are absolutely necessary under these circumstances,” Wang told a daily briefing. Britain has summoned China’s ambassador to document “increasingly aggressive behavior and rhetoric from Beijing in recent months, which threaten peace and stability in the region”, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was quoted as saying. “The UK urges China to resolve any disputes by peaceful means, without the threat or use of force or coercion.” Beijing’s threats against Taiwan are a major factor contributing to the deterioration of US-China relations to their lowest level in decades. China has also been embroiled in a long-running dispute with Australia, and its missile launch last week drew condemnation from Japan, whose exclusive economic zone includes the waters where the missiles landed. In another rejection, South Korea said on Wednesday it would make its own decisions about boosting its defenses against North Korean threats amid Chinese pleas that it was continuing the policies of the previous Seoul government that refrained from adding more US anti-missile batteries, which are strongly opposed. from Beijing. Asked about the developments, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said “we respect and support the sovereign decision of Estonia and Latvia to no longer participate”. “Estonia and Latvia are important and valuable NATO allies and key partners of the US on a range of issues, including through our strong defense ties, our strong economic ties, and the promotion of democracy and human rights,” Patel told reporters. “Over the past year, we’ve seen countries around the world express deep concern about the DPRK’s strategic alignment with Russia as well as Beijing’s support for Moscow’s war against Ukraine,” Patel said. “There is a growing convergence on the need to approach relations with Beijing more realistically,” he said, citing earlier comments by Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken. Wrapping up a five-day visit to Taipei on Thursday, Lithuanian Transport and Communications Deputy Minister Agne Vaiciukeviciute stressed the importance of economic ties with Taiwan and endorsed a statement issued by the Group of Seven industrialized nations criticizing Chinese military exercises around Taiwan. The European Union issued a similar statement, urging China to summon the group’s ambassadors to protest. “Lithuania is a republic. Taiwan is our very close friend and Taiwan is a booming economy,” Vaiciukeviciute said. “Lithuania chooses to cooperate with countries that are willing to cooperate with us. So Taiwan is one of those countries and they are reliable partners,” he said. In response to her visit, China’s foreign ministry announced on Friday that it was suspending “all forms of interaction” with its ministry as well as “exchanges and cooperation with Lithuania in the field of international road transport”. China has already banned trade with Lithuania, with little apparent impact on the country that is a member of both the EU and NATO. The EU has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over Chinese energy.
