Reuters quoted two sources as saying on the 17th that China has urged global auto parts giant Continental to stop using parts produced in Lithuania. But Continental declined to comment on the matter.
Continental has a production facility in Lithuania for the production of automotive doors, seat controllers and other electronic components for export to customers worldwide, including China.
Reuters exclusive report: China asked the German mainland group to cut lithuania
Founded in 1871, Continental is one of the world's largest auto parts manufacturers, owning the well-known tire brand Horse Brand Tire, which has been entering the Chinese market since 1994. In December last year, Continental established its first hydrogen and fuel cell technology center at its Changshu plant, and in September, it officially established the China Software and Systems R&D Center in Chongqing. Nikolai Setzer, Ceo of Continental, has said that about one-tenth of Continental's employees currently work in China, and the group is developing plans to accelerate business growth in China, the "world's largest automotive market."
Continental's horse brand tire store (Picture from Twitter)
Since Lithuania provoked China on the Taiwan issue, foreign media have repeatedly speculated that Lithuania has suffered "trade retaliation" from China. Earlier this month, lithuanian media claimed to have been "banned by Chinese customs"; on the 9th of this month, the Lithuanian deputy foreign minister complained that China had asked multinational companies to choose between the two: cut off ties with Lithuanian enterprises, otherwise they would be excluded from the Chinese market, which was also confirmed by the Lithuanian Federation of Industrialists.
In response to the so-called claim that China requires multinational companies to choose one or the other, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stressed at a press conference on the 9th that China has always acted in accordance with the rules of the WTO. Lithuania has reneged on its promises, flagrantly violated the political commitments made to the Chinese side when the neutral countries established diplomatic relations, created "one China, one Taiwan" in the world, seriously undermined China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and set a bad precedent in the international arena. We resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity and firmly safeguard our core interests.
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