Lithuania's stance on China unchanged, still sees it as a threat - defense minister

VILNIUS - Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas says Lithuania's position on China remains unchanged, with the Asian country viewed as a threat.

"We currently treat China as a threat and avoid Chinese components in drones, electronics and everything else. The position of the Defense Ministry has not changed," Kaunas told reporters in Latvia.

"This is probably something for the foreign minister, the president's office and the civil servants shaping policy toward China and other countries to comment on. As for us, we are not changing our security policy at this point," he said.

Kaunas made the remarks after a foreign and security policy meeting hosted by President Gitanas Nauseda on Thursday.

The president said after the meeting that while Vilnius is interested in restoring normal diplomatic relations with China, it also wants to tap the potential of economic cooperation with Taiwan.

Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said Lithuania should reach a clear agreement with Taiwan on further economic cooperation as part of efforts to restore ties with China.

Kaunas, who attended Thursday's meeting, said Lithuania is also working with Taiwan in the defense field.

"There is a lot of cooperation and discussion with Taiwan, especially in high technologies. Chips, semiconductors and everything related to electronics are important and of interest to us, including for the military industry," he said.

The defense minister acknowledged that cooperation with Taipei is taking time to deliver results due to technology transfers and "other issues."

"We are stepping up engagement to achieve tangible results. I hope the Taiwanese side will also note that we already need those tangible outcomes," he said.

As reported by BNS, Vilnius and Beijing have been at odds for the past few years over how to restore diplomatic representation in both countries following a row over the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office.

Since mid-May 2025, there have been no accredited Chinese diplomats or other staff in Lithuania. Bilateral trade has also fallen sharply since the office opened in 2021.