The Lithuanian Embassy in Beijing celebrated the 25th anniversary of the country's restoration of independence with Chinese guests on Wednesday.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Chao attended the event together with more than 200 high-ranking Chinese officials, business representatives, journalists, foreign diplomats and members of the Lithuanian community residing in China.

"Bilateral ties have moved into a new development phase. The two sides are expected to enhance political trust and people-to-people exchanges while strengthening cooperation in areas such as transportation, logistics and agriculture," Wang said.

Lina Antanaviciene, the Lithuanian Ambassador to China, looked back on the achievements of the country and stressed Lithuania's determination to be free and focused on security challenges in Europe.

"Freedom is not a given phenomenon. It needs to be nurtured and worked on. It must be fought for. This is especially true today, when Europe again echoes with the shots of killing," she said.

Next week, the commemoration events in China will move to Shandong province, where a series of events under the theme of "Lithuanian Days" will be organized in Jinan, including a photo exhibition and a business seminar.