Lithuania meets Chinese diplomats over restoring diplomatic missions

Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry is holding a working-level meeting with Chinese diplomats visiting the country, as part of regular consultations on the conditions and prospects for accrediting diplomats in Vilnius and Beijing, LRT reported.

The ministry said it could not discuss the circumstances, specific steps or content of the consultations because the information was sensitive. Lithuania has made concrete proposals to restore the operation of diplomatic missions and remains open to dialogue, guided by its interests, international law, diplomatic practice and national legislation, the ministry said.

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys confirmed the meeting but did not say which level of ministry officials would take part. Representatives of China’s foreign ministry and diplomats from its mission to the European Union have travelled to Lithuania. On Wednesday, the delegation met a temporary group of Lithuanian MPs advocating the normalisation of diplomatic relations with China to the level maintained by other EU member states.

Relations between Vilnius and Beijing deteriorated after Lithuania opened the Taiwanese Representative Office in 2021. China considers Taiwan a province and opposes it establishing representative offices in countries with which Beijing has official relations. China imposed strict diplomatic and economic sanctions on Lithuania in response.

A draft of Lithuania’s current government programme proposes normalising diplomatic relations with China to the level of representation maintained in other EU member states.