The official said that China is ready to strengthen communication and exchanges with Lithuania on the basis of respect and common approach and to find ways to overcome the current situation. The door of dialogue is always open, she said.
"Although we have different views on some issues, confrontation and isolation will only lead to more misunderstandings and misjudgements. We have not lost confidence in the relations between China and Lithuania and we sincerely hope that they will be back on track," Mei said in the press release.
"The sun shines again after the rain, according to a Lithuanian proverb," she said.
The statement comes as the European Commission is about to decide on resuming its dispute against against China over its trade restrictions imposed on Lithuania. The EU suspended the dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 2024.
The Geneva-based trade body had said that the proceedings are terminated if a case is suspended for more than 12 months. This means that any news about the future of the case should be expected in January 2025.
Lithuania’s relations with China deteriorated after the Taiwanese Representative Office was opened in Vilnius at the end of 2021. Beijing claimed that this violated the „one China“ policy and imposed diplomatic and economic sanctions against Lithuania. China also warned foreign companies it will stop cooperation with them if they use Lithuanian-made parts.
China also downgraded diplomatic relations from the ambassadorial level to the level of chargé d’affaires. Earlier, Lithuania withdrew from the 17+1 cooperation format between countries of Central and Eastern Europe and China.
In response to Beijing’s pressure, the EU formally launched its WTO dispute into „discriminatory Chinese trade practices against Lithuania“ in February 2022.