It's impossible to completely eliminate China in a global world where all our value chains are intertwined. Although it is a communist country, it has invested heavily in high technology. I hope that trade with this country will recover, Ausrine Armonaite told the Lithuanian business news website vz.lt.
Lithuania and the EU are taking steps to make sure that happens, but a lot depends on them as well. The minister said that it was not Lithuania that sanctioned itself.
Lithuania's exports to China fell by 67 percent to 60.7 million euro in January-September, while exports of goods of Lithuanian origin fell by 81.5 percent to 25.7 million euro, according to data from Lithuania's statistics service, Statistics Lithuania.
Following the opening of a Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius, Beijing restricted diplomatic relations with Lithuania and blocked the country's exports. The European Union turned to the World Trade Organization early this year.
Lithuania opened its trade office in Taipei earlier this month.