According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a statement on China's decision to recall the ambassador to Lithuania: Recently, the Lithuanian Government has announced that it will allow the Taiwan authorities to set up a "representative office" in the name of "Taiwan" in disregard of China's repeated representations and understanding of the interests of Israel. This move blatantly violates the spirit of the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between neutral two countries and seriously undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Chinese Government expressed its firm opposition to this and decided to recall the Chinese ambassador to Lithuania and asked the legislative government to recall the ambassador to China.
The Chinese side is telling the Cube that there is only one China in the world and that the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing all of China. The one-China principle is a universally recognized norm governing international relations and a general consensus of the international community, and is the political basis for China to develop bilateral relations with other countries. The determination of the Chinese Government and people to realize the reunification of the motherland is unshakable, and the red line for safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be touched. We urge the Cube to immediately correct the wrong decision, take practical measures to eliminate the bad influence, and do not go further and further down the wrong path. We are also telling the Taiwan authorities that "Taiwan independence" is a dead end, and attempts to engage in separatist activities in the international arena will absolutely not succeed.
The governor of Chang'an Avenue noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Lithuania, but Lithuania has continued to provoke on issues involving China's core interests.
On May 20, the Lithuanian parliament passed a resolution falsely accusing China of committing so-called "genocide" in Xinjiang. Two days later, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Lance Bergs announced his withdrawal from the China-CEEC "17+1" cooperation mechanism, accusing China of "splitting" the EU.
Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Mantas Adomenas also threatened to see from Lithuania's example that "there is no need to be afraid to support Taiwan, even if you support Taiwan, you can live well."
Recently, Lithuania announced the establishment of so-called "representative offices" with the Taiwan authorities, which seriously interfered with the stability and development of neutral relations.
In this regard, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian stressed at a regular news conference on July 20 that China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between countries with diplomatic relations and Taiwan, and opposes the establishment of so-called "representative offices" between countries with diplomatic relations and Taiwan. We urge the Cube to adhere to the one-China principle and abide by its commitment to establish diplomatic relations. We are also telling the Taiwan authorities that "Taiwan independence" is a dead end, and any attempt to create "two Chinas" and "one China, one Taiwan" in the international arena will not succeed.
In May this year, ambassador to Lithuania Shen Zhifei was interviewed by the Baltic Times on issues such as neutral relations, and in response to a reporter's question about Lithuania's opening of a "trade office" in Taiwan, Shen Zhifei stressed that all countries that have established diplomatic relations with China should not develop official relations with the Taiwan region under any name, which is an established principle. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and no one can deny this basic norm governing international relations and the universal consensus of the international community.
Shen Zhifei said it is understandable for Lithuania to seek trade and business opportunities around the world, but its official ties with Taiwan run counter to the one-China principle. China will never tolerate so-called "Taiwan independence" and will not allow this to happen. Never doubt China's determination and ability to preserve territorial integrity. Anyone who chooses to support "Taiwan independence" is tantamount to supporting China's reunification in a non-peaceful manner.
Hua Liming, a special researcher at the China Institute of International Studies and my former ambassador abroad, told the governor of Chang'an Avenue (WeChat ID: Capitalnews) that recalling the ambassador is a very harsh diplomatic measure. The Taiwan issue involves China's core interests, and the establishment of representative offices between Lithuania and the Tsai Ing-wen authorities infringes on China's core interests, and China's response is justified. When Lee Teng-hui visited the United States in 1996, we recalled our ambassador to the United States for this purpose.
Location map of Lithuania
According to public information, Lithuania is located on the east coast of the Baltic Sea and covers an area of 65,300 square kilometers. Lithuania joined NATO on 29 March 2004 and the European Union on 1 May 2004.
On September 14, 1991, China established diplomatic relations with Lithuania. According to the statistics of China's Ministry of Commerce, in 2019, the neutral trade volume was 2.14 billion US dollars, an increase of 2% year-on-year, of which China's exports were 1.7 billion US dollars, down 3.6% year-on-year, and imports were 440 million US dollars, an increase of 32.3% year-on-year.