In Geopolitics Today - Thursday, January 27th
EU Accuses China of Discriminatory Trade Practices, Danish Troops Set to Leave Mali Following Government Request, US Rejects Russian Proposal to Cease Further NATO Expansion
EU Accuses China of Discriminatory Trade Practices
The European Union has launched a case against China at the World Trade Organization, accusing the country of discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania. Lithuania broke with diplomatic custom last year by setting up a Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius, severely angering Beijing in the process. Since then, China has reportedly set barriers to certain Lithuanian goods arriving in China, thereby setting the stage for a trade dispute.
The EU said it will now issue a formal request from Beijing to provide more information regarding discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis demanded that China pay more respect to the EU as a whole, and said Beijing should stop discriminating against Lithuanian trade goods based on political grounds. China responded by stating that the EU should “distinguish right from wrong,” and that Brussels should remind Vilnius that the country needs to return to diplomatic relations based on the One-China principle, recognizing Taiwan as part of China. Beijing also said the dispute was purely political, and accused Lithuania of an attempt to "hijack" EU-Beijing relations.
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Danish Troops Set to Leave Mali Following Government Request
The transitional government in Mali has made a formal request to the Danish government to withdraw all its troops operating on the West African country’s territory. The government in Bamako told Denmark to withdraw its 90-person military contingent after Danish forces arrived in Mali just a week earlier within the framework of a European counterterrorism operation.
The statement made by officials Bamako emphasized that the Danish deployment lacked both a legal basis and the consent of the Malian government. Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod confirmed the withdrawal request from officials in Mali, and stated that the Danish government had been informed that “Denmark is not welcome” in the country. France, which plays a central role in European deployments in Africa, denounced Bamako’s “unfounded allegations” against Denmark, stating that Mali's government is “illegitimate” and is taking “irresponsible” steps. France is joined by 14 other European countries in urging Mali’s government to reconsider its position and allow Danish special forces to remain in the country. However, Mali’s Interim Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga has maintained that Danish special forces must withdraw immediately.
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US Rejects Russian Proposal to Cease Further NATO Expansion
The United States and its NATO allies have reportedly issued a written reply to Russian demands regarding European security, firmly rejecting any concessions on Moscow’s main points. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed Russia’s main demand to cease NATO expansion, stating that there will be “no change” to US-NATO plans to integrate Ukraine and Georgia into the military bloc. Blinken went on to say that allied deployments of troops and military equipment to Eastern Europe are non-negotiable.
While reports indicate that the US has not provided any concessions on Russia’s key demands, the content of Washington’s response to Moscow remains secret as Washington has reportedly asked Moscow to not publish the document in the spirit of maintaining “confidential” discussions. While Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov admitted that the US response did contain some elements that could lead to “serious” discussions on secondary issues going forward, he emphasised that the document was lacking a “positive response on the main issue.” Russia must now decide how it will respond to Washington’s counter-offer. Given that Russian officials have previously warned of unspecified “military-technical” measures in the event that the US refused to heed its core demands, what follows could prove critical for European security for years to come.
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