China downgrades diplomatic ties with Lithuania over Taiwan office opening

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China on Sunday downgraded its diplomatic ties with Lithuania, expressing strong dissatisfaction with the Baltic state after Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a breakaway region, opened a de facto embassy in capital Vilnius.

The Chinese foreign ministry also issued a “stern warning” to Taiwan, saying it is “never a country”.

China views Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, as its territory and opposes any kind diplomatic ties with a third country.

On November 18, Lithuania, a nation of around 2.8 million people, brushed aside China’s protests, to allow Taipei to set up a “Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania” in Vilnius.

“The Chinese side expresses its strong indignation and protest against this move, and decides to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Lithuania to the chargé d’affaires level,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

“It has allowed the establishment in Lithuania of the “Representative Office” bearing the name of Taiwan, thus creating an egregious precedent in the world,” the statement added.

Lithuania, according to agency reports from Vilnius, expressed regret over China’s move but defended its right to expand cooperation with Taiwan while respecting Beijing’s “One China” policy.

The Chinese foreign ministry, meanwhile, also warned Taiwan, saying it belongs to China. “We also have this stern warning for the Taiwan authorities: Taiwan is never a country. No matter how “Taiwan independence” forces try to misrepresent facts and confound black and white, the historical fact that the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China cannot be changed.”

“Attempts to seek foreign support for political manipulation will prove a dead end,” the Chinese statement said.

The downgrade is believed to be a deterrent to some other European countries, warning them not to try to provoke China on key issues.

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China reduces ties with Lithuania in Taiwan spat

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China downgrades its diplomatic ties with Lithuania over Taiwan embassy issue

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China has downgraded its diplomatic relations with Lithuania after the tiny Baltic nation allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in its capital earlier this week. The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that Beijing expressed “strong dissatisfaction” over Lithuania’s move allowing the self-governed island to set up a representative office in Vilnius.

Taiwan considers itself as a sovereign but Beijing claims the island under its ‘one China’ policy and has been pushing to implement the Hong Kong system there. Only a handful of countries have direct diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which Beijing calls a violation of the ‘one China’ policy.

On Friday, China warned that Lithuania will “pay for what it did”.

“Lithuania only has itself to blame, it will have to pay for what it did,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a regular news conference.

Lithuania will ‘pay for what it did’, says China after it forges ties with Taiwan

While most of the countries try to walk a diplomatic tightrope on the Taiwan issue, the United States has become increasingly vocal about the island’s greater participation on international forums, especially after the beginning of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

China, meanwhile, is working to introduce legislation that would make people criminally liable for life for supporting the independence of Taiwan. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said in a statement earlier this month that people named in a list of supporters of Taiwan’s independence will face sanctions.

Opting for draconian measures to muzzle dissenting voices is not new for Beijing. It imposed the controversial national security law on Hong Kong last year aimed at curbing greater autonomy of the global financial hub, triggering criticism from the West.

Taiwan’s Premier Su Tseng-chang, parliament Speaker You Si-kun and foreign minister Joseph Wu have been named in the list drawn up by China for being “stubbornly pro-Taiwan independence.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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