China decides to recall its ambassador to Lithuania

BEIJING, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- China has decided to recall its ambassador to Lithuania and demanded the Lithuanian government recall its ambassador to China, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Recently, the Lithuanian government, in disregard of China's repeated representations and articulation of potential consequences, has announced its decision to allow the Taiwan authorities to open a "representative office" under the name of "Taiwan," the spokesperson said.

The Lithuanian government's decision brazenly violates the spirit of the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Lithuania, and severely undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the spokesperson noted.

"The Chinese government expresses its categorical opposition to this move. China has decided to recall its ambassador to Lithuania and demanded the Lithuanian government recall its ambassador to China," the spokesperson said.

The Chinese side warns the Lithuanian side that there is only one China in the world and the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The one-China principle is a widely recognized norm of international relations and common consensus of the international community. It is the political foundation for China to develop bilateral relations with other countries, the spokesperson said.

"The Chinese government and people have unswerving determination to achieve reunification of the country. The red line of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity shall not be crossed," the spokesperson said.

"We urge the Lithuanian side to immediately rectify its wrong decision, take concrete measures to undo the damage, and not to move further down the wrong path. We also warn the Taiwan authorities that 'Taiwan independence' is a dead end and any attempt at separatist activities in the international arena is doomed to fail," the spokesperson said.