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China Downgrades Lithuania Ties in Anger at New Taiwan Office

China Downgrades Lithuania Ties in Protest Against Taiwan Office

China downgraded ties with Lithuania to the level of charge d’affaires and is prepared to end diplomatic relations with the Baltic nation if necessary, escalating tensions after Taiwan opened a diplomatic office there last week.

Lithuania is “walking back on political promises” made in a communique for establishing diplomatic links with China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday. Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper, later wrote a message suggesting China would sever ties if Lithuania takes “further destructive action” on issues involving Taiwan.

“Lithuania is nothing but an itty-bitty country,” Hu said in a post on WeChat. “It’s just like a rat or flea at the feet of fighting elephants.”

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Beijing’s move as “rude and petty,” in a statement. It added that Taiwan’s close relations with other nations, especially democratic ones, will not stop because of pressure from China.

China withdrew its ambassador from Lithuania in August in protest at the Baltic nation’s move to let Taiwan set up a representative office under the name of Taiwan, something that China deems disrespectful to its sovereignty.

Beijing sees the democratically ruled island of Taiwan as part of its territory, and has repeatedly voiced opposition to countries engaging in official contact with Taipei and vowed to take countermeasures. The one-China principle is the political basis for relations between the two countries and the establishment of Taiwan’s office sets a bad international precedent, China’s Foreign Ministry said. 

“We urge Lithuania to immediately correct this mistake and not to underestimate the Chinese people’s strong determination and ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it added.

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The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said it regrets China’s decision to downgrade diplomatic ties. The Baltic nation “has a right to expand cooperation with Taiwan, to accept and to establish non-diplomatic representations to ensure practical development of such ties,” like in many other countries, the ministry said in a statement.

“Lithuania has opened a representative office for practical cooperation,” Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Sunday. “But this is not a diplomatic representation office. I want to emphasize this yet again.”

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.