Russian war in Ukraine bruises Baltics’ relations with China

Bloomberg

China’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine played a role in Estonia’s decision to quit an Eastern European initiative that aimed to enhance relations with Beijing, the Baltic nation’s top diplomat said.
“It was definitely a factor that we kept in mind when making the decision. Before that, we consulted with a series of allies,” Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in an interview in Paide, Estonia, on Saturday.
Reinsalu, a conservative who took office in July after Prime Minister Kaja Kallas forged a new coalition, is a fierce supporter of Ukraine. He discussed ideas for new EU sanctions against Russia with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a visit to Kyiv this month.
Estonia and Latvia this week joined Lithuania in abandoning the so-called 16+1, a loosely organized alliance formed in 2012 as a way to cooperate on infrastructure and development projects.
The two nations were seeking other members to quit as well but weren’t successful, said a person familiar with the deliberations who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. Three or four other members are considering pulling out, but it’s a political decision that depends on which leader is currently in power, the person said.