Lithuania says China holds the key to restoring bilateral ties

Whether Lithuania can restore relations with China will depend on Beijing, the chairman of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Remigijus Motuzas, told LRT.

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has given Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys until the end of the year, or the beginning of next year, to implement the government’s plan to restore relations with Beijing. However, it remains unclear how the prime minister would assess the minister’s performance if the talks stalled through no fault of Lithuania.

Budrys faced questions from the conservative parliamentary group, including Žygimantas Pavilionis, who asked what communist China wanted from Lithuania in the negotiations. The minister has not publicly disclosed how far the talks have progressed or how close they are to meeting the prime minister’s objective.

Budrys said the talks involved economic and trade issues, including the representation of Lithuanian companies in Beijing, as well as diplomatic matters that required channels for resolution.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the Homeland Union Lithuanian Christian Democrats, said Budrys had been placed in a difficult position because China’s demands were not being made public. He said the minister had been given a clear but time-limited schedule, which Beijing could see, and that China’s demands could come at a significant cost to Lithuania.

The stated aim is to bring Lithuania’s relations with Beijing back to the level maintained by other European Union member states. This objective is included in the government programme. Budrys has said publicly that it is the 35th item in the foreign policy programme, but Sinkevičius has set a deadline for resolving the issue.

Budrys said more than one person was working on the issue and that an action plan had been prepared. He added that setting a deadline made the task more difficult because the outcome depended on dialogue with the other side.

Motuzas said the result did not depend on Budrys, the Foreign Ministry or Lithuania as a whole. He said the ministry had made maximum efforts and that progress could be judged as substantial if the assessment focused on the actions and efforts made by Lithuanian officials. The outcome, he said, would depend on China.

Sinkevičius said an unsuccessful process would still require an explanation. He said he would not accept claims that nothing happened simply because the sides did not want to proceed or had postponed action.

Political discussions have raised two possible interpretations of the deadline given to Budrys. One is that the minister could be forced to resign if he fails to achieve the goal. The other is that the issue could be put aside because the timing becomes unfavourable.

Both possibilities are linked to Lithuania’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union, which falls under the Foreign Ministry’s responsibility and would involve Budrys, who has already built up experience on the issue. After the presidency, political parties would enter a series of election campaigns.