As of mid-May, no Chinese diplomats remain in Lithuania, reflecting ongoing diplomatic tensions between Vilnius and Beijing, according to a report by BNS.
“There are currently no diplomats or accredited staff from the People’s Republic of China Embassy in Vilnius,” Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry confirmed.
The last Chinese diplomat in the country was denied re-entry at Vilnius Airport on May 18 after a short trip abroad. Border officials explained that although he held a diplomatic passport, his accreditation had expired, and he had overstayed the 90-day limit under Schengen visa exemptions for diplomats.
“This person had used up the allowed time and could no longer rely on the exemption,” said Giedrius Mišutis, spokesperson for Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service. The diplomat was held at the airport for nine hours before being returned to Istanbul.
Lithuania ceased renewing diplomatic accreditations for Chinese personnel following a deterioration in relations sparked by a 2021 dispute over Taiwan.
The root of the dispute
Tensions began when Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius under the name "Taiwanese Representative Office" — a deviation from the more neutral "Taipei Representative Office" used by most countries. China saw this as support for Taiwanese sovereignty and responded by downgrading diplomatic relations.
Beijing renamed its embassy in Vilnius to a Charge d’Affaires Office and did the same to Lithuania’s mission in Beijing. Lithuania, however, continued to regard both offices as full embassies and accused China of violating diplomatic norms. Lithuanian diplomats eventually left China, as Beijing no longer recognized their diplomatic status.
China later attempted to accredit its personnel in Lithuania under the downgraded mission name — something Vilnius refuses to recognize, effectively blocking new Chinese diplomats from taking up posts.
Escalation and expulsions
For several years, Chinese diplomats in Lithuania operated under pre-2021 accreditations. Once those expired, they relied on Schengen rules allowing limited stays for diplomatic passport holders.
In late 2024, Lithuania expelled three Chinese staffers for breaches of protocol. One was reportedly involved in a hit-and-run traffic incident and had overstayed his diplomatic status, leading to him being declared persona non grata.
China then tried sending diplomats based in other countries to Lithuania, prompting Vilnius to require all Chinese officials to notify the Foreign Ministry in advance of arrival. Failure to comply could result in them being declared undesirable.
“We’re responding to pressure from China with a range of measures,” a Lithuanian official told BNS. These include rejecting any documentation referring to the Chinese mission as a Charge d’Affaires Office.
Goodbye, for now
While Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas had shown willingness to normalize ties since taking office in late 2023, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has been more cautious.
On June 9, MP and former prime minister Algirdas Butkevičius told parliament that Chinese embassy staff had informed the Foreign Ministry they were leaving Lithuania with no plans to restore diplomatic presence in the near term.
Budrys confirmed efforts are ongoing to resolve the legal status of diplomatic representation between the two countries. “We want to return to normal diplomatic relations, where all diplomats have accredited status, immunity, and working conditions under Lithuanian law,” he said.
While formal diplomatic ties remain intact, direct communication is now handled via China’s mission to the European Union in Brussels.
Earlier this year, Fang Mei, a senior advisor at the Chinese EU mission, expressed hope for restoring normal relations, stating that “the door to dialogue remains open.”
BNS has reached out to China’s EU mission for further comment, but no response has been received. Photo by Bearas, Wikimedia commons.