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As the AP reports, China had previously expelled the Lithuanian ambassador, reflecting a strong sensitivity to the status of Taiwan, which Beijing says has no right to conduct foreign affairs. China also recalled an ambassador from Lithuania.
Read: Opening Representative Office in Lithuania, Taiwan Provokes China’s Anger
China’s foreign ministry said relations would be downgraded to the level of attorney, the embassy’s No. 2 official. China’s Foreign Ministry also accused Lithuania of “undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” They called on the Lithuanian government to “correct the error immediately.”
Beijing refuses to have formal relations with a government that recognizes Taiwan as a sovereign nation. China has persuaded all but 15 countries, most of them small and poor countries in Africa and Latin America, to shift recognition to mainland China.
Many governments, including the United States and Japan, have formal diplomatic relations with Beijing while maintaining extensive commercial ties with Taiwan. Many also maintain ties to the island’s democratically elected government through trade offices that function as informal embassies.
Read: Installed with built-in sensors, Lithuania calls on citizens to throw away Chinese cellphones
Lithuania said earlier that it plans to open its own representative office in Taiwan. Lithuania’s move reflects growing interest among governments in expanding ties with Taiwan.
“We seek closer ties with the rest of Asia and the Indian-Pacific Ocean. Lithuania opened an embassy in Australia recently, another will be opened in South Korea, and possibly a representative office in Taipei in the future,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters during the opening of the Tawan representative office in Lithuania, Friday ( 19/11/2021).
(esn)
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