China downgrades diplomatic ties with Lithuania over Taiwan's office

China has decided to downgrade its diplomatic ties with Lithuania in opposition to Taiwan's recent opening of its representative office in the European country, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.The ministry said in a statement that China's relations with Lithuania would be downgraded to the "charge d'affaires level," a rung below ambassador, adding that the country "grossly interferes in China's internal affairs."The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania that opened Thursday, whose responsibilities include consular affairs, is the first in Europe under the island's own name. The offi…READ FULL ARTICLE