Budrys says Lithuania faces multiple threats linked to China

Lithuania faces multiple threats related to China’s activities, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said, while arguing that the absence of a Chinese diplomatic mission does not make the country safer. LRT reported on Thursday that he made the remarks during a meeting with the Liberal Movement’s parliamentary group.

Budrys said the Foreign Ministry’s calls for Taiwan to change the name of its representative office in Lithuania were not initiated by China. He described an unofficial document received by the office as “one episode taken out of a series of meetings.”

Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen noted that China has been mentioned in the State Security Department’s assessment of threats to Lithuania’s national security. Budrys cited economic security challenges, including China’s excess industrial capacity and the effects of what he described as unfair trade policies on some European industries. He also said Lithuania faces trade restrictions from China.

Budrys said it would be wrong to claim that the lack of a Chinese diplomatic mission makes Lithuania safer. During the five years without one, he said, Lithuania’s economic dependencies and threats in some areas had grown. The presence or absence of a mission, he added, should not be linked to the intensity of the threats.

He said efforts to restore a Chinese diplomatic mission had been ongoing since 2021, including under the previous government. Budrys said the government had not changed its position and that the work was continuing. He said he would present decisions after a full analysis of potential benefits and risks, adding that he did not believe Lithuania was at a crossroads.