A Chinese-controlled Spanish firm that has won Lithuania's tender to build a railway bridge over the Neris River poses a threat to national security, a government panel decided on Thursday.
The bridge is part of the Rail Baltica European standard-gauge railway project implemented by Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG).
Read more: Lithuanian Railways looks to sign major bridge construction deal with Chinese-owned firm
“The commission has decided that LTG Infra's planned contract with the highest ranked bidder [...] does not comply with national security interests,” Rasa Jakilaitienė, the prime minister's spokeswoman, told BNS.
However, the final decision on whether the planned deal is in line with Lithuania's national security interests will be made by the cabinet, she added.
LTG asked for the commission's opinion on Puentes y Calzadas Infraestructuras, the winner of the 62.5-million-euro tender.
LRT reported on Wednesday that the state-owned railway company was planning to sign the Neris bridge contract with Puentes y Calzadas Infraestructuras, in which state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation purchased a two-thirds stake last year.
The Chinese corporation is controlled by China Communications Construction, a major Chinese state-owned company that has been under US sanctions since August 2020 due to its links with China's military.
The new 1,510-meter-long railway bridge over the Neris River near the central town of Jonava will be the longest of its kind in the Baltic countries.
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