According to Euronews, on Tuesday (July 7th), Lithuania's new Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius presented his government's policy plan to the country's parliament. In terms of foreign policy, while maintaining a tough stance towards Russia, the most significant change lies in its position towards China.
The governing program states that Lithuania will “normalize its diplomatic relations with China to the level of other EU member states.” Reports analyze this as a signal of a more pragmatic stance.
This represents a significant change compared to the previous conservative-led coalition. At that time, in 2021, Vilnius allowed the Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan to establish representative offices. China announced a reduction of its diplomatic relations with Lithuania and imposed economic and trade restrictions on that country.
When explaining the government's platform in parliament, Prime Minister Šinkevičius was questioned by the conservative Lithuanian member Žygimantas Pavilionis, who asked why "the threat from China is not seen" and why "you love China so much".
"I have no love or dislike for China," said Sin-Kē Vī Chū. He further added that his foreign policy has two main priorities: "One is security, and the second is — its importance does not exceed the first - economic cooperation."
Since the victory in the parliamentary elections in October 2024 and the Social Democratic Party (LSDP) returned to power, until the appointment of Sinkevicius, the government had changed three prime ministers. However, the Lithuanian government led by the LSDP has always been rather positive towards improving relations with China. But whether these statements and intentions can be implemented depends on the political battle between the progressive and conservative factions within Lithuania.
