China urges Lithuania to correct Taiwan-related mistake to normalize ties

China urged Lithuania on Monday to correct its mistake regarding the Taiwan region and return to the right track of upholding the one-China principle, saying the move was necessary to create conditions for normalizing bilateral relations.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun made the remarks when asked at a regular news briefing whether Lithuania had agreed to allow China to reopen a charge d'affaires office in Vilnius, whether China would soon reopen its diplomatic mission there and whether Beijing was considering restoring bilateral ties.

"China has stated its position on China-Lithuania relations on multiple occasions," he said. "The current difficulties and the crux of bilateral relations lie in Lithuania's violation of the one-China principle and its reneging on the political commitment it made in the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries," Guo said.

Noting that China has always kept the door open for communication with Lithuania, Guo expressed hope that Vilnius would "take action at an early date, move promptly to correct its mistake and return to the right track of upholding the one-China principle, so as to create conditions for the normalization of China-Lithuania relations."

Beijing decided to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Lithuania to the charge d'affaires level in 2021 after Lithuania, in disregard of its strong protest and repeated representations, allowed the Taiwan authorities to set up a "Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania".