Visiting Estonia nearly two weeks ago, Budrys, who took office as head of diplomacy in December, said his interest was to normalise the relations between Vilnius and Beijing.
"When there is a change, we will see it and we can share it. So far, I do not have any indications that would allow me to say that there will be a change one way or the other. But what I do have is a lot of patience," Budrys told Žinių radijas on Thursday.
He said the relationship between Lithuania and China during the term of the previous Government was marked by a rigid tone and vocabulary which did not always help.
"There was a discussion and speaking in public in tough language about our relations with China and what we will do or will not do next, or were doing at present. I think this has been counterproductive at some stages," the foreign minister said.
The relationship with China has been under discussion for the last four years. After the Social Democrats won the Seimas election in October 2024, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas hinted at the possibility of improving contact with Beijing and the return of Lithuania’s ambassador to China.
Relations between Lithuania and China went sour in 2021, after the Taiwanese Representative Office was opened in Vilnius. China started pressuring Lithuania economically and downgraded the level of diplomatic representation from ambassadorial to the chargé d’affaires.