China recalls envoy to Lithuania over Taiwan’s move to open de facto embassy
- Beijing says decision to allow representative office under the name ‘Taiwan’ severely undermines its sovereignty
- It also demands the Lithuanian government recall its ambassador to China
“The decision brazenly violates the spirit of the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Lithuania and severely undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the foreign ministry statement said. “The Chinese government expresses its categorical opposition to this move.”
It said Beijing had decided to recall its envoy, Shen Zhifei, and demanded the Lithuanian government in turn recall its ambassador to China, Diana Mickeviciene.
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‘One China’ explained
“We urge the Lithuanian side to immediately rectify its wrong decision, take concrete measures to undo the damage, and not to move further down the wrong path,” the statement said. “We also warn the Taiwan authorities that ‘Taiwan independence’ is a dead end and any attempt at separatist activities in the international arena is doomed to fail.”