Lithuania Prepares to Agree to China's Establishment of a Chargé d'Affaires Office
¬ Lithuanian President: Foreign Minister Budrys Can Only Retain His Position If Sino-Lithuanian Relations Improve
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According to comprehensive media reports, on the 17th, Matusaitis, Chairman of Lithuania’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, stated that Lithuania has proposed agreeing to China’s establishment of a “Chargé d’Affaires Office.”
Matusaitis said during an interview with a local television station: “We’ve taken a step forward—perhaps it could be seen as a concession to China in some way.” “Everyone knows that when China’s embassy withdrew from Lithuania previously, it had proposed establishing a chargé d’affaires office, but we rejected it at the time.” “Now, saying this doesn’t reveal any major secret, because Lithuania has already proposed, at this stage, agreeing to China’s establishment of such an office.”
Matusaitis added that both sides have reached consensus on consular service arrangements, including visa issuance. Under these arrangements, Chinese citizens and certain members of cross-border families may apply for visas to Lithuania in Beijing and other Chinese cities.
He also pointed out that these measures have received positive feedback from the business community, as some Chinese technicians need to travel to Lithuania to provide equipment maintenance services.
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Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in an interview with Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) that Foreign Minister Budrys can only keep his position if he improves relations with China.
Nauseda stated: “Normalization of relations with China (Mainland), and achieving the ambitious goals agreed upon with Taiwan—these require tangible results. If the outcomes are satisfactory, everything will improve, and then I hope Mr. Budrys can remain in office. Otherwise, we will consider the matter differently.”
Nauseda added that he plans to discuss the future of Budrys and other ministers with leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, Šinkvicius, next week.
In 2021, Lithuania allowed the Taiwan authorities to establish what it called a “Taiwan Representative Office,” triggering dissatisfaction from China and plunging bilateral relations into deadlock. In response, China imposed diplomatic and economic sanctions against Lithuania, downgrading their diplomatic ties to the level of chargé d’affaires, recalled its ambassador to Lithuania, and demanded Lithuania recall its ambassador to China. As of May 2025, there have been no Chinese diplomats present in Lithuania.
This February, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė admitted that allowing Taiwan to open a representative institution under the name “Taiwan” in Vilnius was a strategic mistake made by Lithuania.
In response, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that China’s communication channel with Lithuania remains open at all times. The Chinese side hopes Lithuania will turn its willingness to improve bilateral relations into concrete actions, correct its mistakes as soon as possible, return to the right path of upholding the one-China principle, and lay the groundwork for normalizing Sino-Lithuanian relations.
Source: sputniknews
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1868383637376010/
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