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A newspaper sits in a letterbox at the Lithuanian Embassy in Beijing, on Dec 16, 2021. (File photo: AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
BEIJING: Beijing warned on Monday (Dec 2) it could take “countermeasures” against Lithuania after the expulsion of three Chinese embassy staff, as relations fray over Vilnius’ Taiwan ties and the suspected involvement of a Chinese ship in sea cables damage.
“China strongly condemns and firmly rejects this wanton and provocative action,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
“China calls on Lithuania to immediately stop undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and stop creating difficulty for bilateral relations,” they added.
Two Baltic Sea telecommunications cables were severed last month in Swedish territorial waters, including one running from the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania.
Suspicions have been directed at a Chinese ship – the Yi Peng 3 – which tracking sites said had sailed over the cables around the time they were cut.
On Friday, Lithuania’s foreign ministry said three Chinese staff members “have been declared undesirable in the country”.
The ministry did not give the precise reasons for the expulsion, citing only “activities which violate the Vienna Convention and the legislation of the Republic of Lithuania”.
On Wednesday, Lithuania said it was setting up a joint team with Sweden and Finland to investigate the damaged cables, with the support of Eurojust, the European Union’s agency for criminal justice cooperation.
China has denied any responsibility in the matter and said Friday it was “willing to work” with a probe.
Ties between Vilnius and Beijing had already been tense after Lithuania in 2021 allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy under the island’s name.
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, on Monday accused Vilnius of “acting in serious violation of the one-China principle”.
“This has caused severe difficulty for bilateral ties,” the spokesperson said.