Whether China-Lithuania trains will suspend their operations remains a mystery. China Railways have denied any plans to stop traffic to and from Lithuania, claiming that such reports are false.

According to a report from the BNS news agency, China was about to suspend rail freight traffic to Lithuania starting from August. However, China Railways have informed the Chinese Xinhua news agency of the opposite. The Lithuanian transport counsellor in China confirmed this by stating to the Taiwanese Central News Agency that there is no information concerning the suspension of trains between China and Lithuania.

Political tension

Rumours regarding the halt of rail freight traffic between the two countries emerged after some political developments. Specifically, Lithuania and Taiwan announced their intention to strengthen their bonds by opening representing offices in each country. However, China was not pleased with the development and withdrew its ambassador from Lithuania while it called the Baltic state to do the same.

Following this incident, Marius Skuodis, Lithuania’s transport minister, commented on Lithuanian media that the tension could also impact rail freight volumes between the two countries. However, Mantas Bartuska, CEO of Lithuanian Railways, mentioned that the volumes between Lithuania and China are so insignificant that the impact will be minor even if they decrease.

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