Lithuania’s foreign minister to brief lawmakers on China talks in closed session

Lithuania’s foreign minister, Kęstutis Budrys, will present the current state of negotiations with China during a closed meeting of the Seimas (parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, LRT reports, citing committee chair Remigijus Motuzas.

Motuzas, a social democrat, confirmed that Budrys will outline the progress of the talks. The agenda includes a confidential discussion on normalising the work of diplomatic missions.

In June, Motuzas revealed Lithuania had proposed opening a temporary chargé d’affaires office in Vilnius as a step toward restoring diplomatic representation. At the time, Budrys neither confirmed nor denied the proposal. Some opposition figures, including committee deputy chair Žygimantas Pavilionis of the conservative party, have criticised the move as a concession to Beijing, noting it was not debated in the committee.

President Gitanas Nausėda has stated Lithuania seeks to normalise political relations with China, which were severed a few years ago. Bilateral discussions on reopening embassies in Beijing and Vilnius are underway, with results expected within the next six months, according to Nausėda.

Relations deteriorated sharply in late 2021 after Lithuania allowed the opening of a Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius. China views Taiwan as a province and opposes any official representation by Taiwanese authorities in countries with which it maintains diplomatic ties. In response, Beijing imposed strict diplomatic and economic sanctions on Lithuania.

In February 2022, the European Commission filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO), alleging China’s trade restrictions on Lithuania—ostensibly for hygiene reasons—amounted to discriminatory practices that reduced Lithuanian exports by 80% that year. However, the EU withdrew the complaint in December 2023.

China also downgraded its diplomatic relations with Lithuania. Recently, some social democrat politicians have advocated for warming ties with China, while acting Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė has suggested renaming the Taiwanese office to the “Taipei” office. Nausėda previously indicated Lithuania could restore diplomatic relations with China at the chargé d’affaires level if Beijing agreed. China has stated that dialogue remains open but insists Lithuania must correct its “mistake” regarding the Taiwanese office.