“China, give me a bit of honesty, don’t contact us anymore, we’ll get angry.”The new Prime Minister of Lithuania spoke again in an uninterested corner.In July this year, the ruling coalition in Lithuania was again split, and in August, the 44-year-old Prime Minister Inga Ruzhenya succeeded and immediately took office.
In July 2025, Lithuania's original ruling coalition broke down due to budget differences, and the then Prime Minister announced his resignation.
After approximately a month of negotiations, Rouhani led a new governing coalition of the Patriot Alliance-Lithuanian Christian Democratic and Liberal Party, which was formally elected prime minister on August 15 through a parliamentary vote of confidence.
The 44-year-old, who served as the Lithuanian Ministry of Economy and Innovation, has practical experience in promoting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and attracting foreign investment, and the Cabinet has also listed “economic recovery” and “enhancing international cooperation” as government priorities.
Rouhani mentioned the expression of communication with China during the parliamentary foreign policy debate on September 10.
In response to questions from lawmakers about relations with China, she mentioned that Lithuania hopes to resume dialogue with China in more areas, especially in pragmatic cooperation such as trade and environmental protection.
The statement was interpreted by some media as "with pressure", but in conjunction with its subsequent additions, she stressed that "dialogue should be built on the basis of mutual respect, taking into account the core interests of both sides."
The policy document subsequently released by the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also shows that the new government plans to restart the economic and trade working group meeting with China within this year, focusing on issues such as agricultural export and logistics cooperation.
There is a real need for economic and trade exchanges between Lithuania and China.
Lithuania's dairy products and wood processing products once had a stable market in China. In 2023, the bilateral trade volume reached 820 million euros, of which Lithuania's dairy products exports to China accounted for 12% of its total exports.
As a result of previous fluctuations in bilateral relations, Lithuania’s exports to China declined by 18% in 2024 and some small and medium-sized enterprises faced pressure to reduce orders.
Following the rise of the government in Lithuania, the Lithuanian Association of Milk Products and the Association of Wood Exporters requested that the export environment be improved through the resumption of dialogue.This need for cooperation at the civil level has become an important factor for the new government to consider adjusting its communication strategy with China.
Interaction under the framework of international cooperation also provides space for dialogue between the two sides.
As a member of the European Union, Lithuania has participated in the relevant negotiations of the China-Europe Investment Agreement and is also a participant in some cooperation projects under the Belt and Road Initiative.
In 2025, the EU plans to promote the China-Europe Green Cooperation Platform, Lithuania's technology accumulation in the field of renewable energy, and it is expected to cooperate with Chinese companies through the platform.
In its foreign policy, the Rohingya government has clearly listed "expanding cooperation with China on the basis of the EU framework" as one of the directions, trying to create conditions for bilateral communication through multilateral mechanisms.
The remarks of the Rouhani government toward China must also be seen in the internal political context of Lithuania.
The new ruling coalition, which only has a weak majority in parliament, needs to balance the positions of the different parties, while responding to the expectations of the domestic people for economic development.
From a practical point of view, the Lithuanian Embassy in China has recently started contact with China's relevant industry associations to understand the demand of the Chinese market for imports of dairy and timber products, and prepare for the subsequent economic and trade dialogue.
This approach of "first pragmatism after pragmatism" is more consistent with the previous style of Rudinene's work in the economic sector.
China has always remained open to dialogue.
China's Foreign Ministry said at a routine press conference on September 12 that the Chinese side has consistently attached importance to developing relations with Lithuania and is willing to carry out pragmatic cooperation with the Cuban side on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.
The China International Trade Promotion Commission also revealed that it has received a preliminary application for Lithuanian enterprises to participate in the 2026 China International Import Expo, and related linking work is underway.
This two-way pragmatic interaction laid the foundation for improving relations between the two sides.
Now, the diplomatic team of the new Lithuanian government has begun to sort out specific issues of cooperation with China, and potential cooperation projects in the fields of economy, trade, environmental protection, science and technology have been included in the list.
Lithuanian dairy enterprises are preparing for product certification in line with the Chinese market standards, and some wood processing enterprises are also adjusting the production process to adapt to China's green building materials standards.
These preparatory work at the non-governmental level echoes the willingness to communicate at the government level and constitutes a pragmatic basis for the improvement of bilateral relations.
The expression in Rouhani may be characterized by a personal style, but the need for pragmatic cooperation of the new Lithuanian government reflects more.
Under the background of globalization, it is inevitable that there will be differences in the interaction between countries, and it is always an effective way to promote the development of relations to solve problems and seek the convergence of interests through dialogue.
The communication number released by the new Lithuanian government, as well as the practical interaction between the two sides in the economic and trade field, are moving towards pragmatic cooperation, and this effort to promote development through cooperation is precisely the positive energy in international exchanges.
In July 2025, Lithuania's original ruling coalition broke down due to budget differences, and the then Prime Minister announced his resignation.
After approximately a month of negotiations, Rouhani led a new governing coalition of the Patriot Alliance-Lithuanian Christian Democratic and Liberal Party, which was formally elected prime minister on August 15 through a parliamentary vote of confidence.
The 44-year-old, who served as the Lithuanian Ministry of Economy and Innovation, has practical experience in promoting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and attracting foreign investment, and the Cabinet has also listed “economic recovery” and “enhancing international cooperation” as government priorities.
Rouhani mentioned the expression of communication with China during the parliamentary foreign policy debate on September 10.
In response to questions from lawmakers about relations with China, she mentioned that Lithuania hopes to resume dialogue with China in more areas, especially in pragmatic cooperation such as trade and environmental protection.
The statement was interpreted by some media as "with pressure", but in conjunction with its subsequent additions, she stressed that "dialogue should be built on the basis of mutual respect, taking into account the core interests of both sides."
The policy document subsequently released by the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also shows that the new government plans to restart the economic and trade working group meeting with China within this year, focusing on issues such as agricultural export and logistics cooperation.
There is a real need for economic and trade exchanges between Lithuania and China.
Lithuania's dairy products and wood processing products once had a stable market in China. In 2023, the bilateral trade volume reached 820 million euros, of which Lithuania's dairy products exports to China accounted for 12% of its total exports.
As a result of previous fluctuations in bilateral relations, Lithuania’s exports to China declined by 18% in 2024 and some small and medium-sized enterprises faced pressure to reduce orders.
Following the rise of the government in Lithuania, the Lithuanian Association of Milk Products and the Association of Wood Exporters requested that the export environment be improved through the resumption of dialogue.This need for cooperation at the civil level has become an important factor for the new government to consider adjusting its communication strategy with China.
Interaction under the framework of international cooperation also provides space for dialogue between the two sides.
As a member of the European Union, Lithuania has participated in the relevant negotiations of the China-Europe Investment Agreement and is also a participant in some cooperation projects under the Belt and Road Initiative.
In 2025, the EU plans to promote the China-Europe Green Cooperation Platform, Lithuania's technology accumulation in the field of renewable energy, and it is expected to cooperate with Chinese companies through the platform.
In its foreign policy, the Rohingya government has clearly listed "expanding cooperation with China on the basis of the EU framework" as one of the directions, trying to create conditions for bilateral communication through multilateral mechanisms.
The remarks of the Rouhani government toward China must also be seen in the internal political context of Lithuania.
The new ruling coalition, which only has a weak majority in parliament, needs to balance the positions of the different parties, while responding to the expectations of the domestic people for economic development.
From a practical point of view, the Lithuanian Embassy in China has recently started contact with China's relevant industry associations to understand the demand of the Chinese market for imports of dairy and timber products, and prepare for the subsequent economic and trade dialogue.
This approach of "first pragmatism after pragmatism" is more consistent with the previous style of Rudinene's work in the economic sector.
China has always remained open to dialogue.
China's Foreign Ministry said at a routine press conference on September 12 that the Chinese side has consistently attached importance to developing relations with Lithuania and is willing to carry out pragmatic cooperation with the Cuban side on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.
The China International Trade Promotion Commission also revealed that it has received a preliminary application for Lithuanian enterprises to participate in the 2026 China International Import Expo, and related linking work is underway.
This two-way pragmatic interaction laid the foundation for improving relations between the two sides.
Now, the diplomatic team of the new Lithuanian government has begun to sort out specific issues of cooperation with China, and potential cooperation projects in the fields of economy, trade, environmental protection, science and technology have been included in the list.
Lithuanian dairy enterprises are preparing for product certification in line with the Chinese market standards, and some wood processing enterprises are also adjusting the production process to adapt to China's green building materials standards.
These preparatory work at the non-governmental level echoes the willingness to communicate at the government level and constitutes a pragmatic basis for the improvement of bilateral relations.
The expression in Rouhani may be characterized by a personal style, but the need for pragmatic cooperation of the new Lithuanian government reflects more.
Under the background of globalization, it is inevitable that there will be differences in the interaction between countries, and it is always an effective way to promote the development of relations to solve problems and seek the convergence of interests through dialogue.
The communication number released by the new Lithuanian government, as well as the practical interaction between the two sides in the economic and trade field, are moving towards pragmatic cooperation, and this effort to promote development through cooperation is precisely the positive energy in international exchanges.