China’s authorities decided to reduce the level of diplomatic relations with Lithuania. It is reported by central television PRC.
According to his information, Beijing will lower diplotes with Lithuania to the level of attorneys in affairs. Such a decision, the Chinese government adopted against the background of the opening of Taiwan’s representative office in Lithuania. In accordance with the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, the class of the attorney in cases is the third rank of the heads of diplomatic confedets after ambassadors and envoys.
The Government of the PRC believes that the opening of the representative office is a violation of the principle of one China and its territorial integrity, as well as interference in its internal affairs. “China expresses acute discontent and decisive protest in this regard and decided to lower the Chinese-Lithuanian diplomatic relations to the level of attorneys in the affairs,” the RBC quotes the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The sentence says that China has been forced to lower diplomatic relations with Lithuania, taking into account the fact that the political basis for diplomatic transactions between Beijing and Vilnius at the level of ambassadors was destroyed.
Taiwan’s office opened in the Lithuanian capital on November 18. It will not have a diplomatic status, but consular services will be able to provide. His leader appointed Eric Juan, heading a similar office in Riga, where he is referred to as the representation of Taipei. Lithuania expects to open its representative office in Taiwan at the beginning of next year.
China recalled the ambassador from Lithuania in August, and on September 3, the official Vilnius announced the revocation of the ambassador from Beijing.