Lithuania’s diplomatic relations with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have once again hit a standstill. Since mid-May of this year, there have been no CCP diplomats stationed in Lithuania. The ongoing dispute over the Taiwan issue has escalated, making it difficult for diplomatic relations to be restored.
According to reports from the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently confirmed that there are “no accredited diplomatic personnel or staff” currently stationed at the Chinese Embassy in Lithuania. It was reported that the last CCP diplomat stationed in Lithuania was denied entry at Vilnius Airport on May 18 due to visa issues and was immediately deported to Istanbul.
The Lithuanian Border Guard explained that although the official held a diplomatic passport and enjoyed visa-free access to the Schengen Area, their diplomatic status in Lithuania had expired, and they had a record of overstaying, thus no longer eligible for diplomatic immunity.
The current diplomatic deadlock can be traced back to the autumn of 2021 when Lithuania allowed Taiwan to establish an office in Vilnius under the name “Taiwanese Representative Office” instead of the commonly used “Taipei” designation in other European countries. This move was seen by the CCP as support for Taiwan’s sovereignty, leading to a downgrade in diplomatic relations between the two countries, with the embassy being renamed as a “liaison office.”
While Lithuania did not take reciprocal measures, it still recognized the CCP institution in Lithuania as an embassy and criticized the CCP for violating diplomatic norms. Subsequently, China no longer recognized the diplomatic credentials of Lithuanian diplomats stationed in China, leading to the withdrawal of all Lithuanian diplomatic personnel from Beijing.
Following this, China attempted several times to send personnel to Lithuania under the designation of “liaison office,” but as this institution was not recognized by Lithuania, they refused to issue diplomatic certificates. Over the past few years, CCP diplomats stayed in Lithuania based on their accreditation before 2021, and after it expired, they utilized short-term stays under the Schengen visa-free treatment.
As bilateral relations continued to deteriorate, China began sending diplomatic personnel to and from Lithuania from a third country to execute tasks. In response, the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs clearly stated that individuals arriving without prior notice could be deemed as “unwelcome persons.”
At the end of 2024, Lithuania expelled three CCP diplomats on the grounds of violating diplomatic norms, with one of them being implicated in a hit-and-run incident in the southern city of Druskininkai, and investigations showed that their diplomatic credentials had long expired.
According to a report from the local news website Lrytas, during a parliamentary inquiry last week, Member of Parliament Algirdas Butkevičius questioned Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys about the progress in relations with China.
He mentioned that he had met with representatives of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs twice in February, indicating that there seemed to be an intention to restore bilateral relations at that time. However, on June 9, they suddenly received notification that all staff from the Chinese Embassy would be leaving, with no plans in the near future to reestablish relations.
Budrys responded, saying, “We hope that both sides can return to a path of normalization, but currently the initiative is not in our hands.”
He added, “We hope that Chinese diplomatic personnel and our personnel stationed in Beijing can receive formal recognition and legal protection on an equal basis. There are diplomatic relations between Lithuania and China. The current issue lies in the practical operation of the representative system, and this is not Lithuania’s fault.”
Paluckas revealed on Monday (June 16) that Lithuania had presented a specific proposal to China in the hopes of facilitating the restoration of diplomatic representative institutions between both sides, emphasizing that the proposal did not involve any changes to the name “Taiwanese Representative Office.”
“Our proposal does not include any adjustments to the name of the Taiwan Representative Office,” Paluckas emphasized in a press conference on that day. “We hope that China can respond and gradually restore relations.”
Although Lithuania and China still maintain formal diplomatic relations, substantive interactions have nearly come to a halt. The Lithuanian government stresses that normal exchanges can only resume if Chinese personnel obtain diplomatic accreditation in accordance with the law and if institutions are established on an equal basis.
Currently, official communication between Lithuania and China is being handled by the CCP’s mission to the European Union. China has yet to respond to Lithuania’s proposal and has not disclosed any new diplomatic arrangements in Lithuania.