Australia, Lithuania to unite in countering China pressures

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The foreign ministers of Australia and Lithuania have agreed to step up cooperation on strategic challenges, in particular pressures from China. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and his Australian counterpart Marise Payne met Wednesday at Parliament House. Australian exporters have lost tens of billions of dollars from official and unofficial trade barriers that coincided with deteriorating relations with China. Lithuania drew Beijing’s ire after agreeing that Taiwan’s office in Vilnius would bear the name Taiwan instead of Chinese Taipei. Payne said she agreed with Landsbergis on the importance of like-minded countries working together with a consistent approach to protecting the international rules-based order, transparency, security and stability.