The prime minister’s statement came in response to a reporter’s question about his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez’s recent visit to Beijing.
“Actually, I do not see any issues with that (the visit) as this is the common policy of the European Union. Questions arise if we speak about Lithuania’s policy in the context of the European Union’s policy, as we do not even have normal diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, everybody around us – Estonians, Latvians, Poles, not to mention the Spanish – have them,” Paluckas told reporters in the Presidential Palace on Monday.
Bilateral cooperation in security or economy of varying degree in intensity is a different question though, he said.
“These are complex diplomatic relations. But not to have any diplomatic relations – at this point we find ourselves outside both the Spanish and European Union context,” Paluckas said.
Soon after the 2024 Seimas election, won by the Social Democrats (LSDP), Paluckas suggested Lithuania could improve relations with China and send an ambassador to Beijing. However, this goal is not included in the Government’s programme. On the contrary, it describes China as a great challenge for Lithuania’s foreign and security policy.
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.