Lithuania has declared three staff members of China’s diplomatic mission persona non grata and handed a diplomatic note to Beijing.
The Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the three Chinese representatives were declared persona non grata for activities that violate the Vienna Convention and Lithuanian legislation.
“The decision was made in light of the information provided by the responsible authorities and the incompatibility of the status and activities of the non-accredited personnel with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, other principles and practices of international law, and Lithuanian legislation,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry did not comment on the specific actions that led to this decision.
The mission’s employees have one week to leave Lithuania.
“Lithuania has always been and remains open to constructive dialogue to resolve bilateral issues by mutual consent,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry added that it hopes that diplomatic relations will be based on the principles of reciprocity and parity, including Lithuania’s diplomatic representation in China.
The ministry also said that it has offered a temporary solution to the Chinese side to ensure the continuity of the diplomatic mission’s basic consular, visa, and administrative functions in line with the Convention on Special Missions.
The Lithuanian State Department said in a reply to BNS that it has no publicly available information on the matter.
Lithuania’s relations with China soured in 2021 after the opening of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius. In response, Beijing downgraded diplomatic ties with Vilnius and imposed trade restrictions.
Recently, President Gitanas Nausėda and Prime Minister-designate Gintautas Paluckas have proposed normalising relations with China.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
