The European Commission (EC) is again asking the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to temporarily suspend its case against China over trade restrictions imposed by the country on Lithuania, the LRT portal reports.

The Commission first asked for the case to be extended a week ago, after the WTO suspended it in January last year following a request from the European Union (EU).

According to the LRT portal, the case is being asked to be suspended again because EC lawyers continue to believe that it is difficult to prove legally that China has imposed restrictions on Lithuanian goods. The case could be suspended for another year.

Three years ago, Lithuania allowed a Taiwanese representative office to operate in Vilnius, and relations between Vilnius and Beijing have become tense. China says the decision to name the representative office after "Taiwanese" is a sign of Taiwan's attempts to act as an independent state, which the communist state believes is contrary to the "One China" policy.

The name of the representative office has led China to apply economic and political pressure on Lithuania, warning foreign companies to stop cooperation if they use Lithuanian-made parts.

In response to Beijing's pressure, in February 2022, the EU took Lithuania to the WTO over what it said were discriminatory Chinese trade practices against Lithuania.