Lithuania slammed for expulsion of diplomats

Nation's 'persona non grata' declaration further frays bilateral ties, ministry says

China on Monday strongly condemned and firmly rejected Lithuania's designation of some Chinese diplomatic personnel as "persona non grata", urging the country to abide by the one-China principle and foster conditions for the normalization of bilateral ties.

Without any explanation, Lithuania's Foreign Ministry declared on Friday some personnel working in the Office of the Charge d'Affaires of China in Lithuania "persona non grata" and demanded they leave the country within a designated time period, according to a statement released by China's Foreign Ministry.

Calling the decision wanton and provocative, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement that because of actions taken by Lithuania regarding Taiwan in recent years, the Baltic state is already in serious violation of the one-China principle and in breach of the political commitment it has made in the communique on the establishment of China-Lithuania diplomatic relations. "This has caused severe difficulty for bilateral ties," the statement added.