The Chinese government has announced that it will downgrade its diplomatic relations with one of the three Baltic states, Lithuania.
This is to protest Lithuania's approval to open a local agency named "Taiwan" this month.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan announced on the 18th of this month that it has established a "Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania" in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, which has no diplomatic relations.
Countries that have no diplomatic relations with Taiwan usually do not allow the use of the name "Taiwan" due to consideration for China, which claims that "Taiwan is part of China", and the name "Taipei" is used. However, it is extremely unusual for Lithuania to admit it.
In response to this, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 21st that it "expressed strong dissatisfaction and severe protests and decided to downgrade the diplomatic relations between the two countries."
According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, there are three representatives dispatched to countries with diplomatic relations, "ambassador", "envoy", and "chargé d'affaire" in order from the top. It is going to be downgraded to.
In August, the Chinese government summoned an ambassador to Lithuania in response to Lithuania's approval to establish a local agency bearing the name "Taiwan."
In May, Lithuania announced that China would withdraw from the framework of economic cooperation with 17 countries such as central and eastern Europe, and provided Taiwan with a vaccine for the new coronavirus. It is showing an attitude of strengthening relations with Taiwan.