China said on Monday it remained open to talks on restoring diplomatic relations with Lithuania but urged Vilnius to take swift action to improve ties.
"The essence of the current difficulties is that the Lithuanian side violated the 'one-China' principle and failed to adhere to the political commitments made in the joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations. China, as always, remains open to dialogue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said."It is expected that the Lithuanian side will take swift and decisive action to correct past mistakes and return to the right path, adhering to the 'one-China' principle, in order to create conditions for the normalisation of relations with China," he added.Meanwhile, Chinese state-run publication Global Times reported that the diplomatic chill is a consequence of Lithuania's decisions and that the slow pace of change "highlights frustration and the need for decisive action".The publication, considered a mouthpiece for China’s Communist Party, said Vilnius had to rename the Taiwanese trade office.Relations between Lithuania and China soured in 2021 after Vilnius allowed the opening of a Taiwanese Representative Office. Beijing viewed the move as support for Taiwan's aspirations to act as an independent state and subsequently downgraded diplomatic ties from ambassadorial level to charge d'affaires.Lithuanian officials previously ruled out changing the name.Due to subsequent disputes over the accreditation of diplomats, no Chinese diplomats have remained in Lithuania since May 2025.Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said last week that Lithuania is seeking progress in relations with China, though he did not comment publicly on the details.The remarks followed reports that Lithuania had agreed to allow China to open a charge d'affaires office in Vilnius at the site of the former embassy.
