China suspends visa issuance to Lithuanian citizens, formin confirms

VILNIUS – The Chinese mission has suspended the issuance of visas to Lithuanian citizens as of Wednesday, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has confirmed.

"We have been informed about this. No further information has been provided, but I know that Lithuanian citizens can be received in other countries if needed," he told Lithuanian journalists in Kyiv on Thursday. 

Landsbergis said he was unware of the reasons for and the duration of the suspension.

The Chinese mission had last temporarily suspended the issuance of visas to Lithuanian citizens in late November 2021.

Beijing then said the move was due to technical reasons, but it came after China had officially downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania to the level of chargé d’affaires in response to the opening of the Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius.