NATO member expels 3 Chinese diplomats, escalating tensions

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry declared three employees of the Chinese representative office in Lithuania as “persona non grata” on November 29.

Chinese Embassy in Lithuania. (Source: LRT nuotr)

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry explained the reason for Vilnius's action as violations of the Vienna Convention and Lithuanian law by Chinese citizens, although it did not provide further details.

In the statement, the country's Foreign Ministry also said that the above employees have been asked to leave Lithuania within a week.

The move could further strain relations between Vilnius and Beijing, where China has downgraded ties with Lithuania and pressured multinational companies to cut ties with the Baltic nation of 2.9 million people after Vilnius allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in Lithuania in 2021.

In March 2024, the head of Lithuania's counterintelligence agency said that the possibility of Chinese interference in Lithuania's elections this year could not be ruled out due to the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member state's support for Taiwan (China).

In addition, a Chinese ship was recently suspected of being involved in damaging two undersea cables, including the one connecting Lithuania with Sweden.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/mot-thanh-vien-nato-truc-xuat-3-nha-ngoai-giao-trung-quoc-leo-thang-cang-thang-295635.html