Lithuania to recall China ambassador over Taiwan office name row
- Source says diplomatic spat with its most vocal EU critic gives Beijing a chance to send a signal to others in the 17+1 group thinking of following suit
- Vilnius also feels further punishment may be in store, but is unlikely to change course
Lithuania will recall its ambassador to China “as soon as her quarantine is over”, with the envoy having recently travelled back to Beijing, according to a source familiar with the plans of the government in Vilnius.
The source confirmed that Lithuania will do so “in keeping with the etiquette, which has been impeded by the fact that she is in quarantine”. Ambassador Diana Mickeviciene is thought to have begun her period of quarantine on the morning of Tuesday, just before Beijing demanded she be recalled.
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‘One China’ explained
The diplomatic row marks the latest escalation in tensions between China and Lithuania, which has fast become Beijing’s most vocal critic in the European Union.
The thinking in Vilnius is that withdrawing from the group “put Beijing in a bit of a bind” because “if you lash out at someone withdrawing from what is allegedly a forum of equals”, then membership could be seen to be involuntary.
In that sense, the source said that the punishment was “overdue” and that further action from Beijing is expected in the Lithuanian capital, with the decision to withdraw the ambassador seen as “relatively mild” punishment.