(TibetanReview.net, Dec02’24) –China has on Dec 2 strongly condemned and firmly rejected Lithuania’s expulsion of three of its diplomats, calling the action wanton and provocative. It said Lithuania had not provided a reason for the diplomats’ expulsion.
Lithuania’s foreign ministry had on Nov 29 declared three staff members of the Office of the Chargé d’Affaires of China “persona non gratae” and asked them to leave the country within a week. The ministry accused them of being in violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention and Lithuanian legislation. It gave no further details.
Noting that the Taiwan issue was at the heart of the dispute between the two countries, China’s foreign ministry has said in a statement carried by the official globaltimes.cn Dec 2: “As many are aware, on issues concerning China’s Taiwan region, Lithuania has been acting in serious violation of the one-China principle and breached the political commitment Lithuania made in the communiqué on the establishment of China-Lithuania diplomatic relations. This has caused severe difficulty for bilateral ties. Three years on since the downgrade of bilateral ties with China, Lithuania has again taken detrimental action that further exacerbates the relations.”
The statement further said: “China calls on Lithuania to immediately stop undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and stop creating difficulty for bilateral relations. China reserves the right to take countermeasures against Lithuania. We hope the upcoming new government of Lithuania will follow the prevailing international consensus, abide by the one-China principle, and foster conditions for the normalization of China-Lithuania relations.”
Reuters Nov 29 suggested that the latest development apparently had its beginning in March, when the chief of Lithuania’s counter-intelligence said Chinese interference in this year’s elections could not be ruled out due to the EU and NATO member’s support for Taiwan.
In addition, a Chinese ship is suspected of being involved in damage to two undersea cables recently, one of which runs between Sweden and Lithuania, the report noted.
On Nov 27, Lithuania said it was setting up a joint team with Sweden and Finland to investigate the damaged cables, with the support of Eurojust, the European Union’s agency for criminal justice cooperation.
China has denied any responsibility in the matter and said Nov 29 it was “willing to work” with a probe.
Ties between Vilnius and Beijing had already been tense after Lithuania in 2021 allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy under the island’s name.