On September 14, 2011, Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Lithuanian counterpart Dalia Grybauskaite exchanged congratulatory messages celebrating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

In his congratulatory message, Hu noted that China-Lithuania relations have developed smoothly over the past 20 years. Frequent contacts between the two countries' leaders have deepened mutual understanding and trust. Hu said Lithuania has been China's largest trade partner in the Baltic region for years with increasingly expanded cooperation in economy and trade. Both countries have witnessed fruitful cooperation in the fields of culture, education and sports. They also maintain good communication and coordination within the United Nations and other international organizations, Hu said.

China will work with Lithuania to continuously advance and deepen their bilateral friendly and cooperative relations based on mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, he said.

Grybauskaite said in her message that the Lithuania-China relationship has yielded significant results. In particular, bilateral cooperation in economy and trade, culture, and sports has scored tangible outcomes. She said Lithuania will deepen its mutually beneficial cooperation with China in order to benefit the two countries.

On the same day, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Lithuanian counterpart, Audronius Azubalis, also exchanged congratulatory messages on the anniversary.