Lithuanian culture minister says more cultural exchange needed with China

The Lithuanian minister of culture told Xinhua in Vilnius on Wednesday that the Baltic country and China should have more cultural exchanges.

Sarunas Birutis, the culture minister, told Xinhua in an interview that the two countries "should know each other much much better" when attending a celebration for China's Spring Festival organized by the Confucius Institute at Vilnius University.

"China's culture and civilization have contributed a lot in the progress and development of the global culture and civilization," according to the minister.

"Confucius Institute at Vilnius University is doing a great job promoting the Chinese culture and traditions," Birutis added.

Lithuania is paying a lot of attention to the bilateral cooperation on culture, according to the minister, and the Baltic country will have a new position as culture attache at its Chinese embassy this year.

The Baltic country is not directly linked with China by air travel, but attracts thousands of Chinese tourists each year. China's pianist Li Yundi made his debut in Lithuania last April and earned a big applause from the local audience.