Lithuania has agreed to allow China to open a downgraded diplomatic representation – a charge d’affaires office – in the country, chair of the Seimas foreign affairs committee Remigijus Motuzas said on Wednesday.
“A certain step has already been taken, perhaps a slight bow to China. We know that the Chinese embassy left Lithuania; they proposed establishing a charge d'affaires office, but we refused. [...] Now, I am probably not revealing a big secret, as Lithuania has proposed that at the current stage, it agrees to establish that charge d'affaires office,” Motuzas told Žinių Radijas.
The diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Vilnius began in autumn 2021 when Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius. Beijing viewed this as support for Taiwan’s international status and downgraded diplomatic representation to the level of charge d’affaires, renaming its embassy in Lithuania accordingly.
In response to this change in status, Lithuania refused to issue new accreditations to Chinese diplomats seeking to work under this designation. As a result, no Chinese diplomats have remained in Lithuania since May last year.
According to Motuzas, an agreement has now been reached to provide consular assistance, a move the politician said has been welcomed by the country’s business representatives.
“Previously, we did not provide those services to Chinese citizens ourselves, protesting against the fact that the Chinese punished us in this way.
“Now, an agreement has been reached with some EU member states, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry has approved that Chinese citizens or our citizens living in mixed families who travel to Lithuania can obtain visas in Beijing and other Chinese cities,” Motuzas explained.
“Business is very happy about this because some Chinese specialists service certain companies or equipment and so on,” he added.
The ball for improving relations is now in China’s court, the parliamentarian said.
“Lithuania has made a proposal, made some concessions, and is currently waiting for a response from China,” Motuzas said.
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