China condemns Lithuania’s expulsion of its diplomats

Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China has condemned Lithuania’s expulsion of three Chinese diplomats as relations between the two countries continue to sour. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused Lithuania of expelling its diplomats and declaring them persona non grata “without any reason,” according to a statement posted on the ministry’s website on Monday. Lithuania on Friday announced it had notified Beijing of declaring three staff members of China’s diplomatic mission persona non grata, and that they had to leave the Baltic nation within a week. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry did not specify who the people were or what they had done but cited provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and other international laws.