Vilnius has recalled its Ambassador in China for consultations in Lithuania. This is another episode of deteriorating relations between the two countries as Beijing has seen the opening of Taiwan’s representation in Vilnius as an unacceptable step, Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reports.
Lithuanian MP, Matas Maldeikis, head of the inter-parliamentary group for relations with Taiwan, unveiled the news to LRT TV on Thursday, September 2, evening. Ambassador Diana Mickevičienė was expected to return to Lithuania on Friday, September 3.
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This comes in response to China withdrawing its envoy from Vilnius following Lithuania’s decision to host a «Taiwanese» embassy, a move that Beijing considers to be a red line. Although Taiwan has de facto embassies in other European countries, they are named after the capital city, Taipei.
China considers Taiwan to be a breakaway republic and considers any moves to acknowledge the state as a breach of the so-called One China policy, which says there is only one Chinese government.
The article originally appeared on LRT English: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1485406/lithuania-recalls-ambassador-from-china-for-consultations
Lithuania-China row intensifies as Vilnius recalls Ambassador for some time
