On February 14 2017, H. E. Mr. Wei Ruixing, Chinese Ambassador to Lithuania, met with Mr. Rokas Masiulis, newly appointed Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania, and shared perspectives and exchanged views with candid and friendly atmosphere on strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the field of transport and logistics. Amb. Ričardas Degutis, Vice Minister of the Ministry, Mrs. Ina Irens, Director for International Cooperation, and Mrs. Zhao Qiuyan, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy, were present at the meeting.

Ambassador Wei extended his sincere congratulations to Mr. Masiulis on his new appointment as Minister of Transport and Communications and wished him every success during his tenure of office. While commending the Ministry's efforts and contributions to the promotion of cooperation in the field of transport and logistics between the two countries, the Ambassador expressed appreciation for the active participation of the Lithuanian Government in "the Belt and Road Initiative", which was put forward by China about three years ago, and "China and Central and Eastern European Countries Cooperation (16+1 Cooperation)", which was established about five years ago. With the joint efforts of both sides, some progress has been made during the past few years for cooperation in transport and logistics between the two countries. As Lithuania, located at the "west end" of the Silk Road Economic Belt, has advantages of geographical location and transport facilities, there are great potentials and bright prospects to expand bilateral, trilateral or multilateral cooperation in the field of transport and logistics. "The relevant Chinese enterprises have strong interest in participating in the Rail Baltica Project, the upgrading of Klaipeda Port and other infrastructure projects. With rich experience in the construction of high-speed railway, highway, seaports and other infrastructure facilities, and with advantages of state-of-art equipment, expertise and capital, China is a reliable partner of Lithuania in this area", Ambassador Wei said, and expressed the hope that the two countries would work together to bring the potentials into full play and make greater progress in mutually beneficial cooperation in transport and logistics. The Ambassador asked the Minister and his Ministry to continue to support cooperation between the business communities of the two countries and to facilitate the smooth operation of business establishment of the Chinese enterprises in Lithuania. The Ambassador assured the Minister that the Chinese Embassy in Vilnius would maintain and consolidate the existing good working relations with the Ministry and its relevant departments and institutions.

Minster Masiulis expressed thanks to Ambassador Wei for his congratulations, and shared similar perspectives that the two countries have great potentials and bright prospects for cooperation in transport and logistics. "As expanding areas of cooperation and promoting win-win cooperation is the common aspiration of both countries, Lithuania will continue to take an active part and play a more positive role in 'the Belt and Road Initiative' and '16+1 Cooperation' while focusing on bilateral cooperation", the Minister said. Lithuania welcomes Chinese companies to participate not only in infrastructure projects such as the Rail Baltica Project and the upgrading of Klaipeda Port but also in logistics sector, Free Economic Zones and industrial parks. Minster Masiulis assured Ambassador Wei that the Ministry would always open its door to Chinese enterprises and facilitate their business operation. The Minister also expressed his thanks to the Chinese Government for inviting him to attend "the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation", which is to be held in May in Beijing, and informed the Ambassador that he was very pleased to accept the invitation and would attend the Forum.