Dharamshala, 21st November: After Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a representative office, China downgraded diplomatic relations with Lithuania to charge d’affaires on Sunday. Because the tiny Baltic nation of fewer than three million people is an influential member of the bloc, the action might further sour Beijing’s relations with the EU. According to observers, China believes Lithuania’s decision will encourage other EU and smaller countries to take similar steps. Beijing also issued a warning to Taiwan at the same time.

China, which claims Taiwan as part of the mainland and has ratcheted up tensions by sending over 200 military planes into Taiwan’s Air Identification Defense Zone (ADIZ) in recent weeks, has been at odds with Lithuania over its decision to allow Taiwan to open its Representative Office for the past few months.

In August, Beijing summoned its ambassador from Vilnius, and Lithuania summoned its envoy from China. Undaunted, Lithuania went ahead and opened the Taiwan Representative Office, which is viewed as a de facto embassy, leading Beijing to issue a warning to Vilnius.

The heat began when Lithuania withdrew from the Beijing-led 17+1 cooperation framework with central and eastern European counties in May, calling it “divisive.” As it prepared for a diplomatic clash with China, it grew closer to the United States, which has bolstered support for Taiwan in order to fend off China’s threats to Taiwan’s independence. Beijing’s spat with Lithuania comes at a delicate time for China’s lucrative ties with the EU, which are being strained by Brussels’ charges of human rights breaches in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Tibet.

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