Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday backed a proposed constitutional amendment that would lift a ban on deploying nuclear weapons and hosting foreign military bases in the country, a move that Russia warned would have major security implications.
Under the proposal, Article 137 of the Constitution, which prohibits the deployment of weapons of mass destruction and hosting foreign military bases on Lithuanian territory, would be deleted.
The passage of the proposal, however, does not mean the constitutional change has been fully approved. According to the parliamentary agenda, a formal vote on the amendment will be held over two rounds in October this year and January next year.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last week that Lithuania's proposed amendment was absolutely irresponsible, accusing NATO members of pursuing provocative policies and using Lithuania as a potential staging ground against Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned that Lithuania could become a target of Russian nuclear weapons if it allowed foreign nuclear arms to be deployed on its territory.
Lithuania backs lifting ban on nuclear weapons, Russia warns of security implications
The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) will hold its 4th and concluding meeting of this year in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, from Saturday to next Monday.
During the upcoming meeting, China and Canada will jointly release a collection of Asia-Pacific "AI+" cases to tap the potential for innovation cooperation, according to the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).
"The fourth meeting of the 2026 APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) is a key component of the APEC Leaders' Week, with the dual mission of summarizing the year's cooperation achievements and charting the direction and priority areas for cooperation in 2027. At this pivotal moment marking the 30th anniversary of the ABAC, the CCPIT will organize high-quality Chinese proposals to guide the direction of cooperation and leave a distinct Chinese imprint," said Wu Meng, head of CCPIT's Department of International Cooperation.
During the meeting, delegates from various economies will also visit representative local enterprises engaged in developing new quality productive forces and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, to experience the vitality of Chinese modernization and sci-tech innovation.
The previous three ABAC meetings of this year were held in Jakarta, Mexico City and Bangkok, respectively, producing 14 outcome documents including letters to APEC economic leaders and policy recommendation reports.
The ABAC is APEC's only permanent body representing the business community. It submits policy recommendation reports to leaders of APEC economies every year and serves as the primary channel for the Asia-Pacific business sector to engage in APEC cooperation.
APEC Business Advisory Council to hold 2026 final meeting in Shenzhen
