Lithuania’s state security chief suggests limited diplomatic exchange with China could be beneficial

Restoring some level of diplomatic engagement with China would help Lithuania better assess security risks for its citizens there, the head of the State Security Department (VSD) said on Friday, as reported by ELTA.

Remigijus Bridikis acknowledged that strained relations with Beijing have made it difficult for intelligence services to evaluate the current situation in China and the experiences of Lithuanians living or travelling there.

“On one hand, given our current situation with China, we struggle to understand and identify developments in China—what China’s priorities are now, how our citizens feel there, whether travelling or residing,” Bridikis told ELTA Kampas. “While some academic ties remain, they carry clear risks. We still face many unanswered questions.”

He stopped short of specifying how quickly or in what form diplomatic representation should be restored but argued that “some level of diplomatic exchange would be beneficial for our national security, particularly in assessing the environment our citizens encounter.”

Bridikis stressed that Lithuania’s threat assessment of China remains unchanged, with individuals in the country—whether for business, travel, or academia—facing persistent surveillance, recruitment attempts, and exploitation of vulnerabilities by Chinese intelligence. “From an intelligence perspective, there’s no distinction between how Russia, Belarus, or China operate—their methods are equally aggressive,” he said.

He also noted that before Taiwan opened its representative office in Vilnius, China’s embassy in Lithuania had served as the primary hub for intelligence activities, shaping public opinion and gathering information. “Their unrestrained operations—including influencing protests and other activities—were coordinated through that embassy and its staff,” Bridikis added.

Relations between Vilnius and Beijing deteriorated sharply after Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in late 2021. China, which views Taiwan as a province without the right to establish overseas missions, imposed strict diplomatic and economic sanctions in response. The European Commission later filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization, alleging discriminatory trade practices that reduced Lithuanian exports by 80% in 2022. The case was withdrawn in late 2023.

Amid ongoing tensions, China formally downgraded its diplomatic ties with Lithuania. Recent political debates have revisited the issue, with some Social Democrats advocating for warmer relations, while Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has floated renaming Taiwan’s office to “Taipei” as a potential compromise. President Gitanas Nausėda has suggested restoring ties at the level of chargés d’affaires if Beijing agrees.

China has previously stated that dialogue remains open but insists Lithuania must first “correct its mistakes.”