China–Lithuania relations

China–Lithuanian relations ( lt, Lietuvos-Kinijos santykiai) are the bilateral foreign relations between the People's Republic of China (China) and Lithuania. The PRC has a '' chargé d'affaires'' in Vilnius. In December 2021, Lithuania closed its embassy in Beijing.

Timeline

China-Lithuanian relations date back to 1921, when the Republic of China recognized independent Lithuania until the latter's occupation and subsequent annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940. Modern diplomatic relations between Lithuania and the People's Republic of China were officially established on 14 September 1991, following the official restoration of Lithuanian independence. Neither the PRC nor the ROC recognized the incorporation of Lithuania into the Soviet Union.

In 1992, the PRC's embassy was established in Vilnius, and in 1995, the Lithuanian embassy was established in Beijing.

In August 2021, the ROC opened its representative office in Vilnius under the name of "Taiwanese" (the first under this name in Europe), with the Lithuanian office in Taipei to open by the end of 2021. In the opinion of the Chinese government, Lithuania has thus reneged on its 1991 agreement with PRC on the establishment of diplomatic relations where Lithuania recognized the One China principle; Lithuanian government does not consider being in breach of the agreement. In response, the PRC recalled its ambassador in Vilnius, Shen Zhifei, and demanded that Lithuania recall its ambassador in Beijing, Diana Mickevičienė. Trade between the two countries were also seriously disrupted. Relations between the PRC and Lithuania were downgraded to the level of chargé d'affaires on 21 November 2021.

On 3 December 2021, Lithuania reported that in an escalation of the diplomatic spat over relations with Taiwan, China had stopped all imports from the Baltic state. It said Beijing has delisted Lithuania as a country of origin, preventing items from clearing customs, and was rejecting all import applications. As a result of the conflict, China pressured Continental AG and other international companies to stop doing business with Lithuania. The spat spilled over to the rest of the EU when China banned the import of goods which contained Lithuanian parts potentially disrupting integrated supply chains in the common market. EU Ambassador to China Nicolas Chapuis supported Lithuania and attempted to intervene on their behalf. The president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China described the Chinese government's move as "unprecedented."
In early 2022, reports emerged that German Chamber of Commerce warned Lithuania that German-owned factories will be closed if relations with China are not improved.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in a radio interview in January 2022 that he thought it was a mistake to allow Taiwan to open a representative office using the name 'Taiwan' in Vilnius. These remarks were subsequently widely published across mainland Chinese media that reported Lithuania had admitted its mistake. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said "Recognizing the mistake is a correct step, but what is more important is to take action, correct the 'One China, One Taiwan' mistaken act, and return to the principle of One China." However, political analysts quoted on the BBC
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