BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it strongly condemns and firmly opposes Lithuania declaring three Chinese diplomats stationed in the country’s Office of the Charge d’Affaires personae non gratae.
The ministry said in a statement that Lithuania had not provided a reason for the diplomats’ expulsion on Friday and that it strongly opposed the decision.
Lithuania’s foreign ministry cited violations of the Vienna Convention and Lithuanian legislation as reasons for the expulsions, though no details were given. The 1961 Vienna Convention outlines the rules of diplomatic law.
Beijing downgraded relations with Lithuania and pressured multinational companies to cut ties with the Baltic nation of 2.9 million people after it allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy on its soil in 2021.
Lithuania has since recalled its ambassador and other diplomats.
“Lithuania has seriously violated the one-China principle on the Taiwan issue and betrayed the political commitments made in the communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which has led to serious difficulties in China-Lithuania relations,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in its statement on Monday.
“In the three years since the downgrade of China-Lithuania relations, Lithuania has instead intensified its efforts and repeatedly undermined bilateral relations.”
It added that China reserved the right to take countermeasures over the diplomatic expulsions.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory with no right to the trappings of a state and has stepped up pressure on countries to downgrade or sever their relations with the island, even non-official ones.
Lithuania, like most of the world, acknowledges that China takes the position there is “one China” and Taiwan is part of it. It does not have full relations with Taiwan.
(Reporting by Joe Cash and Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Nicholas Yong)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.