According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, they never received such a request and the embassy of Lihuania removed its staff from Beijing without prior notice.

The Foreign Minister of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, said that he directed the officials to leave China as soon as possible because they did not have answers regarding the process of extension of the certificates that are about to expire.

He also complained of pressure on China’s part on changing the name of “embassy” to “office of charge d’affaires”.

In response, Wang reproached Lithuania for spreading false information, expressed dissatisfaction with such conduct, and demanded that such mistakes be corrected.

He added that since bilateral ties deteriorated and moved to the level of charge d’affaires, China requested that Lithuania update the name of embassy in China in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and other international standards.

The Foreign Ministry of China denied Lithuania’s claims about security problems for diplomatic personnel in China and the alleged ban on Chinese native citizens on working at the embassy.

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