The two countries remain without exchanged ambassadors in their capitals
China has officially lowered its diplomatic ties with Lithuania to the level of “interim ruler”, the foreign ministry said. This is a protest after Taiwan opened a de facto embassy in Vilnius, AFP and BGNES reported.
Lithuania’s permission for Taipei to officially open an office called Taiwan was a significant diplomatic diversion, as opposed to Beijing’s campaign to keep Taiwan isolated on the world stage.
“The Chinese government had to limit diplomatic relations between the two countries in order to protect its sovereignty and the basic norms of international relations,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The Lithuanian government must bear all the consequences of this,” the statement said, adding that his actions “set a bad precedent in the international arena”.
China opposes any official use of the word “Taiwan” in order not to give a sense of international legitimacy to the self-governing island, which Beijing sees as part of its territory and intends to one day take over.
Beijing added that Lithuania had “renounced its political commitment to establishing diplomatic relations” with China, given the “policy of a united China” in which the countries officially recognize the Chinese government as the sole representative of the Chinese people.
Taiwan has announced that it will open the office in July, which will be its first new diplomatic mission in Europe in 18 years. The move provoked fierce resistance from China, which withdrew its ambassador to Lithuania and asked Vilnius to do the same, which eventually happened.
China has also stopped freight trains to Lithuania and stopped issuing food export permits.
SORRY
Lithuania has said it regrets China’s decision to lower diplomatic relations.
“Lithuania reaffirms its adherence to the United China policy, but at the same time has the right to expand its cooperation with Taiwan,” including the establishment of non-diplomatic missions, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
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