Interview: Lithuania welcomes China's effort for connectivity under Belt and Road Initiative

Lithuania hopes to strengthen economic cooperation with China and welcomes China's efforts to enhance the connectivity between Asia and Europe in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis has said.

He made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua ahead of a visit to the Baltic state by Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress.

The Lithuanian prime minister praised the economic cooperation between China and Lithuania as in a "positive direction," while expressing the hope for closer economic relations in order to boost growth at home.

Bilateral trade has been growing steadily, with turnover rising to 831.4 million euros in 2016, marked in part by continuously increasing Lithuania's exports to China, he said.

"Today, our main aim is to strengthen the bilateral economic relations, particularly in high-tech sectors," he said, calling for increasing investments from China in new technologies and innovation to help create more jobs and boost growth.

Skvernelis noted an increasing interest of Chinese enterprises in expanding business in Europe, including beefing up manufacturing and logistics capacity, and participating in large construction and infrastructure projects, so as to secure an access to the European single market.

"Lithuania represents a very attractive location for transport and logistics projects due to its extremely convenient position in the European Union (EU). Chinese enterprises are welcome to set up logistics hubs to serve the EU markets," he said.

In addition, "there are great opportunities for developing bilateral cooperation in the fields of engineering, electronics and biotech, while "Lithuania offers attractive investment packages for Chinese investors in establishing manufacturing and services companies in the country," said the prime minister

Meanwhile, "Lithuania welcomes China's efforts to enhance the connectivity between Asia and Europe by implementing the Belt and Road Initiative," Skvernelis said.

Skvernelis believed the initiative's implementation will strengthen Lithuania's role as an attractive transit country and a crucial link in the global logistics chain.

He said Lithuania, sitting at the gateway between Eastern and Western Europe, boasts well-developed infrastructure in railway, road and air transport. Moreover, its northernmost ice-free seaport Klaipeda can serve as a springboard for Chinese businesses to reach other European countries and regions.

The prime minister also voiced support for the 16+1 cooperation mechanism between China and 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, saying it contributes to the region's sustainable growth and economic prosperity while laying a foundation for greater partnership and reciprocity between Europe and China.

Skvernelis believed the 16+1 mechanism would facilitate the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative that China proposed in 2013 for common growth.

For example, within its framework, Lithuania proposed to host a China-CEE transport ministers' meeting in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius this year. He believed the move "would help enhance the cooperation between China and the Baltic region." Endi