Lithuania is pulling its diplomats out of China, after Beijing blocked its companies’ access to its market in retaliation for the country’s outreach to Taiwan.
Lithuania’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that its embassy would operate remotely “pending China’s decision to renew the accreditation of Lithuanian diplomats in China.”
Two senior Lithuanian officials said that Beijing had been seeking to downgrade the embassy’s diplomatic status in a way that could strip officials’ immunity and put their safety at risk. One of the officials said that China had informed Lithuania weeks ago it was downgrading Lithuania’s mission to a representation and had given diplomats until Dec.14 to hand in their diplomatic identity papers, leaving them in a legal limbo. Lithuania feared their officials would lose diplomatic immunity, the person said, leading to the decision to withdraw them.
Lithuania’s government says the diplomats are ready to return to China as soon as the situation is resolved and they have no intention to close the embassy.
The escalating feud is the latest example of China using its economic weight to pressure Western governments. Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has ramped up diplomatic and commercial pressure on far more powerful states than Lithuania—including Canada and Australia—whose economies are much more exposed to China. However, as a member of the European Union, Lithuania is a tripwire for a broader conflict between Europe and China.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a part of China and has vowed to take control of the democratically self-governing island of 24 million people. Chinese leaders have grown alarmed over the past year as Taiwan has sought to boost its global stature, in part by expanding unofficial ties with countries in Eastern and Central Europe.
In recent months, the EU has become more outspoken regarding Chinese military threats toward Taiwan, which it has discussed with the Biden administration.
Tensions between Lithuania and China have deepened for months due to the former’s dialogue with Taiwanese authorities, which culminated in November with Taiwan opening a representative office in Lithuania.
China withdrew its ambassador to Lithuania in August and demanded the country recall its ambassador, due to Lithuania’s contact with Taiwan.
EU officials have sought to mediate in recent days and have held discussions with the bloc’s ambassador in China. Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda is expected to raise the matter Thursday at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
The EU said last week it is “ready to stand up against all types of political pressure and coercive measures,” and said the dispute could have an impact on the bloc’s relations with China. It has warned that it could refer the issue to the World Trade Organization, but has taken no other action so far.
A spokesman for China’s mission to the EU had no immediate comment.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry expressed the “highest respect to the Lithuanian government” for its willingness to build up its relationship with Taiwan in the face of Chinese pressure.
Lithuania stopped being listed on the Chinese customs authorities’ country list at the start of December, effectively preventing its companies from doing business in China. However, one of the senior Lithuanian officials said that in recent days, some Lithuanian companies had been able to do business there.
Lithuania, with a population of 2.8 million, conducts a negligible amount of trade with China.
“What is really changing is the way China is dealing with the rest of the world,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London. “Essentially the Chinese are saying, ‘The security of your staff cannot be guaranteed until you, Lithuania, will bend your knees.’”
China’s economic pressure on Lithuania comes as the U.S. and Europe seek to head off confrontation with Russia following its military buildup on Ukraine’s border. Lithuania has been a strong supporter of Kyiv and had tense relations with Moscow since the 1990s.
Thank god the EU has a unified approach to foreign policy… oh, wait…
Let’s officially recognize Taiwan in response.
If the EU can’t have a unified stance on something like this then I have a very hard time imagining they can ever come together to have a unified foreign policy on anything. At the end of the day everyone knows Lithuania should be supported, however the reality of trade will probably cause some countries to capitulate to china for economic reasons. It is perfectly understandable why they would, but does question if the whole unified foreign policy idea is anything other then a fantasy.
Man, Mainland Taiwan is really upset.
When USA put tariffs on French or German products, EU responded immediately. How come they do nothing when Lithuania is harmed?
fuck china
This also can be flipt,how can one small country dictate foreign policy of every member of eu? I think this can all be solved very quickly,Lithuania can take back it’s decisions regarding Taiwan and China must stop with economic sanctions towards Lithuania,end of story,back to business and let’s make some money.
Have the Europeans forgotten that it was Lithuania that first opened the Taiwan consulate first under the instruction of the United States?
Who provoked it first?
These smallest members were used by US to destabilize EU.
11 comments
Be strong Europeans!
Lithuania is pulling its diplomats out of China, after Beijing blocked its companies’ access to its market in retaliation for the country’s outreach to Taiwan.
Lithuania’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that its embassy would operate remotely “pending China’s decision to renew the accreditation of Lithuanian diplomats in China.”
Two senior Lithuanian officials said that Beijing had been seeking to downgrade the embassy’s diplomatic status in a way that could strip officials’ immunity and put their safety at risk. One of the officials said that China had informed Lithuania weeks ago it was downgrading Lithuania’s mission to a representation and had given diplomats until Dec.14 to hand in their diplomatic identity papers, leaving them in a legal limbo. Lithuania feared their officials would lose diplomatic immunity, the person said, leading to the decision to withdraw them.
Lithuania’s government says the diplomats are ready to return to China as soon as the situation is resolved and they have no intention to close the embassy.
The escalating feud is the latest example of China using its economic weight to pressure Western governments. Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has ramped up diplomatic and commercial pressure on far more powerful states than Lithuania—including Canada and Australia—whose economies are much more exposed to China. However, as a member of the European Union, Lithuania is a tripwire for a broader conflict between Europe and China.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a part of China and has vowed to take control of the democratically self-governing island of 24 million people. Chinese leaders have grown alarmed over the past year as Taiwan has sought to boost its global stature, in part by expanding unofficial ties with countries in Eastern and Central Europe.
In recent months, the EU has become more outspoken regarding Chinese military threats toward Taiwan, which it has discussed with the Biden administration.
Tensions between Lithuania and China have deepened for months due to the former’s dialogue with Taiwanese authorities, which culminated in November with Taiwan opening a representative office in Lithuania.
China withdrew its ambassador to Lithuania in August and demanded the country recall its ambassador, due to Lithuania’s contact with Taiwan.
EU officials have sought to mediate in recent days and have held discussions with the bloc’s ambassador in China. Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda is expected to raise the matter Thursday at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
The EU said last week it is “ready to stand up against all types of political pressure and coercive measures,” and said the dispute could have an impact on the bloc’s relations with China. It has warned that it could refer the issue to the World Trade Organization, but has taken no other action so far.
A spokesman for China’s mission to the EU had no immediate comment.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry expressed the “highest respect to the Lithuanian government” for its willingness to build up its relationship with Taiwan in the face of Chinese pressure.
Lithuania stopped being listed on the Chinese customs authorities’ country list at the start of December, effectively preventing its companies from doing business in China. However, one of the senior Lithuanian officials said that in recent days, some Lithuanian companies had been able to do business there.
Lithuania, with a population of 2.8 million, conducts a negligible amount of trade with China.
“What is really changing is the way China is dealing with the rest of the world,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London. “Essentially the Chinese are saying, ‘The security of your staff cannot be guaranteed until you, Lithuania, will bend your knees.’”
China’s economic pressure on Lithuania comes as the U.S. and Europe seek to head off confrontation with Russia following its military buildup on Ukraine’s border. Lithuania has been a strong supporter of Kyiv and had tense relations with Moscow since the 1990s.
Thank god the EU has a unified approach to foreign policy… oh, wait…
Let’s officially recognize Taiwan in response.
If the EU can’t have a unified stance on something like this then I have a very hard time imagining they can ever come together to have a unified foreign policy on anything. At the end of the day everyone knows Lithuania should be supported, however the reality of trade will probably cause some countries to capitulate to china for economic reasons. It is perfectly understandable why they would, but does question if the whole unified foreign policy idea is anything other then a fantasy.
Man, Mainland Taiwan is really upset.
When USA put tariffs on French or German products, EU responded immediately. How come they do nothing when Lithuania is harmed?
fuck china
This also can be flipt,how can one small country dictate foreign policy of every member of eu? I think this can all be solved very quickly,Lithuania can take back it’s decisions regarding Taiwan and China must stop with economic sanctions towards Lithuania,end of story,back to business and let’s make some money.
Have the Europeans forgotten that it was Lithuania that first opened the Taiwan consulate first under the instruction of the United States?
Who provoked it first?
These smallest members were used by US to destabilize EU.
[600million USD is on the way](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156794/lithuania-seeks-more-eu-support-us-offers-us600m-cushion)