Several Lithuanian lawmakers have established a parliamentary group aimed at removing obstacles to the restoration of diplomatic relations with China, the group’s chair Ignas Vėgėlė announced on Monday.
Vėgėlė, a member of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Christian Families Alliance political group, said the group – named For the Normalization of Diplomatic Relations with China to the Level of European Union Member States – seeks to bring Lithuania’s diplomatic engagement with China in line with that of most EU member states.
“Lithuania must have the same functioning diplomatic channels with China as our European partners. This is vital for economic cooperation. The so-called ‘values-based policy’ pursued so far has only harmed Lithuania: our businesspeople cannot even obtain visas to China in Lithuania, let alone conduct smooth economic cooperation,” Vėgėlė said.
At present, diplomatic engagement with China is practically non-existent. There are no accredited Chinese diplomats or staff in Vilnius, and the Lithuanian embassy in Beijing operates only remotely and on a limited basis.
"This means that even consular services are not provided to our citizens in China," the statement reads.
The new parliamentary group comprises seven members, including Social Democrat Tadas Barauskas, Democrat Algirdas Butkevičius, Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union MPs Rimas Jankūnas and Ignas Vėgėlė, Karolis Neimantas of the Nemunas Dawn party, and non-attached lawmakers Vitalijus Šeršniovas and Artūras Zuokas.
Vėgėlė emphasised that while the government’s programme supports normalising ties with China, progress has been minimal. The group aims to identify the barriers preventing full diplomatic representation and to push the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take concrete action.
According to the group, the initiative is intended to enable more coordinated proposals, dialogue, and political measures to facilitate the constructive restoration of relations between Lithuania and China.
Relations between Vilnius and Beijing have been strained for several years, particularly following a dispute over the name of the Taiwanese representative office in Lithuania.
Since mid-May, no accredited Chinese diplomats have been present in Lithuania, and a June proposal to restore relations has yet to receive a response.
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