China is furious with Lithuania: withdraws its ambassador and makes additional demands on Vilnius

“Recently, despite repeated statements by China and the outline of the possible consequences, the Lithuanian government announced its decision to allow the Taiwanese government to open a representative office called” Taiwan. “

This decision blatantly violates the spirit of the Communication on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and Lithuania and seriously undermines the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. The Chinese government is categorically opposed to this measure.

China has decided to withdraw its ambassador to Lithuania and demanded that the Lithuanian government withdraw its ambassador to China, “the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement, emphasizing that Lithuania” ignored repeated statements by China and outlined the possible consequences “.

Lithuania also has a way out, as this is not the end of diplomatic relations: Vilnius must react to the “wrong decision” regarding the Taiwanese mission and “take measures to eliminate the damage.”

“The red line for the protection of national sovereignty and territorial integrity should not be crossed,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China said in a statement that also warns Taiwan that the island’s quest for independence is leading to a standstill and is doomed to failure. In Lithuania, Chinese Ambassador Shen Zhifei started working in Lithuania in early 2018 and became famous for organizing protests.

Lithuania will not give up: relations with Taiwan will continue to develop

For its part, the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs circulated its report in response to such actions by China.

It is recognized that on August 10, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania about the dismissal of its ambassador in Vilnius, arguing in favor of Lithuania’s position on Taiwan, and offered Lithuania to call its ambassador in Beijing for consultations. It is interesting that in the report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China it is called a requirement, and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania it is called a “proposal”.

“The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets China’s move and reiterates that, while respecting the one-China principle, it is determined to develop mutually beneficial relations with Taiwan, as well as with many other countries in the European Union and the world,” said the Lithuanian. Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

At the time, Matas Maldeikis, a member of the Seimas and chairman of the Group on Parliamentary Relations with the ROC (Taiwan), assured Delfi that China’s decision to remove the ambassador was a pressure on Lithuania and a wish that Lithuania would pursue to China. interests instead of yours.

“In the European Union, we have several Taiwanese representations, and from there China does not withdraw its ambassadors for consultations. The opening of a representative office does not mean that Lithuania will abandon the one-China policy, it only captures the current status quo in a world in which Taiwan plays an important role. Especially in the technology station, which is very important for our business. This pressure from China will not bring any results and we will soon see the Ambassador return to Vilnius, “said M. Maldeikis.