Analysis: German big business piles pressure on Lithuania in China row

China says Lithuania betrayed its trust on Taiwan
Multinationals dragged into dispute by Lithuania blockade
Companies urge Lithuania to back down – sources

VILNIUS/FRANKFURT, Jan 21 (Reuters) – Lithuania is under pressure from German companies to back down in a dispute with China to end a blockade of the Baltic state, as European trade officials struggle to defuse the row, people familiar with the matter said.

China has pressed multinationals to sever ties with Lithuania or face exclusion from its market, an unusually harsh move that has dragged companies into a political dispute and placed Beijing on a collision course with the European Union. L1N2SU0G7

The row erupted after the Baltic state allowed the opening of a de facto embassy by Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China views as part of its territory.

Some of the companies affected have asked Lithuania’s political leaders…