China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on November 21 downgrading its relations with Lithuania to the Chargé d’Affaires level. It said on November 18, Lithuania, in disregard of China’s strong protest and repeated representations, allowed the Taiwan authorities to set up a “Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania” thus openly creating the false impression of “one China, one Taiwan” in the world. Asserring that "There is only one China in the world and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China", it said "Lithuania has chosen to ignore China’s solemn position and to disregard the broader interests of bilateral ties and the basic norms governing international relations" and by allowing "the establishment in Lithuania of the “Representative Office” bearing the name of Taiwan, had created an egregious precedent in the world". The statement concluded by stating "We also have this stern warning for the Taiwan authorities: Taiwan is never a country. No matter how “Taiwan independence” forces try to misrepresent facts and confound black and white, the historical fact that the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China cannot be changed. Attempts to seek foreign support for political manipulation will prove a dead end".
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