The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China condemned Lithuania's decision to declare three Chinese diplomats, who are stationed at the temporary chargé d'affaires office, as "persona non grata." Beijing clarified that Lithuania did not provide a reason, only making a general reference to violations of the 1961 Vienna Convention and Lithuanian legislation.
According to reports from Western media, the diplomatic incident occurred against the backdrop of an investigation into a possible connection between a Chinese vessel and the severing of two underwater data cables, one of which runs along the seabed of the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Sweden. Sweden requested China's assistance in clarifying the reasons for this damage. However, none of the foreign ministries of the involved parties officially mentioned this incident.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded that Lithuania has previously made decisions that have led to a deterioration in relations between the two countries. In Beijing's view, the bilateral relationship has worsened following Vilnius's decision to establish ties with Taiwan without coordination with Beijing; in 2021, a Taiwanese representative office was opened in the Lithuanian capital.
China's outrage was fueled by Lithuania's agreement to use the island's name in the title of the representative office. Beijing interpreted this as an attempt by Taiwan to act as an independent entity. Typically, this partially recognized state abroad is represented by so-called "Taipei representative offices," in line with the international agreement that such a designation does not contradict the "One China" policy.
Amid disagreements with Vilnius, Beijing decided to downgrade diplomatic relations with Lithuania to the level of chargé d'affaires, changing the name of the Chinese diplomatic mission in Lithuania from "Embassy" to "Representation" of the People's Republic of China. Reports indicate there have been economic repercussions as well, with several multinational companies severing ties with the Baltic nation.
Taiwan has maintained its own administration independent of mainland China since 1949 and refers to itself as the "Republic of China," not recognizing the legitimacy of the People's Republic of China proclaimed in 1949, which, in turn, considers Taiwan to be its rebellious region.