VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) – Lithuania on Wednesday said it had closed its embassy in Beijing and pulled its last diplomat out of the Chinese capital, a move that comes as the country The European Union allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in its capital. capital, Vilnius.
Lithuania’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the Baltic nation would carry out its diplomatic activities in China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and does not grant diplomatic recognition to other countries. The country considers the island a separate country.
The ministry said it had recalled the Lithuanian in charge – the deputy head of the mission – in Beijing for consultations.
“Discussions are ongoing on the technical aspects of the operation of the Lithuanian diplomatic mission in China and the Chinese mission in Lithuania pending China’s decision on the deadline for the recognition of Lithuanian diplomats in China,” the foreign ministry said.
Lithuania is “ready to continue dialogue with China and restore embassy functions to their full extent once a mutually beneficial agreement is reached”, the ministry added.
Beijing previously expelled the Lithuanian ambassador and withdrew the ambassador from Lithuania after the Lithuanian government allowed self-ruled Taiwan, a country with a democratic system, to open an office in Vilnius.
The office opened in November and bears the name Taiwan, not Chinese Taipei, used by the International Olympic Committee and many foreign countries to avoid offending China.
Taiwan has only 15 official diplomatic allies but maintains informal relations with all major countries through commercial offices that act as de facto embassies, including in the United States. and Japan.
