“Global economy is slowing down, the multilateral trade system is being questioned and is even being destroyed, therefore, in these circumstances when China is trying to open itself up and is holding a first imports exhibition, (…) we have a unique opportunity in such an environment and it would be unreasonable and unforgivable if we did not use that situation,” the president told the national radio LRT.
In Grybauskaitė’s words, China plans to import goods and services for 10 trillion US dollars over the next five years.
The Lithuanian president also said that her visit to China will not only be used to create exports opportunities for Lithuanian products, but Lithuania and China are also organizing a bilateral meeting and will discuss their potential cooperation in the area of financial services.
Bilateral cooperation, global trade issues and problems in the EU-Chinese cooperation will be discussed during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Lithuanian president said.
“We have separate issues related to the Lithuanian-Chinese bilateral cooperation, with our exports being the most important of them. We will also speak about cooperation between the EU and China. Here we will speak about an investment agreement which would be very beneficial for us if it was signed between the EU and China as it would protect our potential investments in China. Also, we are speaking about an EU-China free trade agreement which would be very beneficial for us as well,” Grybauskaitė said.
The meeting of the Lithuanian and Chinese leaders is scheduled for later on Monday.
Trade and political ties between the EU and China have gained new meaning recently amid tensions over the United States’ decision to introduce tariffs for foreign goods. China is calling on the EU to boost their ties and together fight against US President Donald Trump‘s tariff decision. Meanwhile, the EU wants China to lift discriminatory requirements for foreign companies and ensure protection of intellectual property.