Cooperation has already begun between the procuratorial organs of Lithuania and China, and the two countries could also develop cultural contact and expand their trade and economic links, Landsbergis told Xinhua on eve of his Chinese counterpart Li Peng's visit.

While Chinese restaurants and other enterprises in Lithuania have helped improve mutual understanding between the two countries, Lithuania is also eager to further develop cooperation in other fields like investment and trans-continental transit transport, the speaker said.

Landsbergis said that as a prospective member of the European Union, Lithuania could become the intermediate depot for Chinese commodities to be exported to Europe.

On the economic situation in Lithuania, Landsbergis said the country is now undergoing economic reforms. Lithuania has already overcome the effects of the Asian and Russian financial crises and its economy began to pick up in the first half of this year, he said.

These are the favorable conditions for the economic cooperation between Lithuania and China, he said.

Landsbergis also said the coming visit to Lithuania by Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress Li Peng will further strengthen relations between the two countries and will result in broader cooperation in more areas.

Lithuania's two-way trade with China is the biggest in volume among the three Baltic countries. According figures from Chinese Customs, trade between the two countries in 1999 reached 27.13 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 12.6 percent over the previous year. And in the first half of this year alone, it rose to 22.77 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 52.7 percent over a year earlier (volume of entrepot trade not included).

(People’s Daily 09/04/2000)