China reduces ties with Lithuania in Taiwan spat

BEIJING (AP) — China has reduced its official relations with Lithuania to below ambassador level after Taiwan, the island democracy that Beijing claims as part of its own territory, was allowed to open a representative office in the Baltic nation. Beijing earlier expelled the Lithuanian ambassador and withdrew its own envoy to the country. The Foreign Ministry said relations would be downgraded to the level of charge d’affaires, am embassy’s No. 2 official. Taiwan has just 15 formal diplomatic allies, but maintains informal ties with all major nations through trade offices that act as de facto embassies, including in the United States and Japan. Beijing refuses to have official relations with governments that recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country.