TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania on (Thursday (Aug. 18) summoned Qu Baihua (曲柏華), Charge d'Affaires of China’s diplomatic mission in Vilnius, to protest Beijing’s sanctioning of Agne Vaiciukeviciute, vice minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania.

The foreign ministry told Qu that China's actions were “unjustified, violated international law and Lithuania's sovereignty.” It also demanded Beijing revoke its decision, including suspending transport cooperation with Lithuania, per a foreign ministry press release.

China's foreign ministry placed sanctions on Vaiciukeviciute in retaliation for her trip to Taiwan earlier this month.

"The visit tramples on the one-China principle, seriously interferes in China’s internal affairs, and undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said in a statement on Friday (Aug. 12). The foreign ministry added that China would end all exchanges with her ministry and suspend transportation cooperation with Lithuania.

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) on Saturday (Aug. 13) also slammed China for its decision, tweeting that it “expresses solidarity” with Vaiciukeviciute and labeled the sanctions as “wholly unjustified.” “Countries must be free to determine their own relations with Taiwan, free from PRC intimidation,” it added.

The vice minister led an 11-member delegation, consisting of government officials and electric bus business representatives to Taiwan from Aug. 7-11. Their trip was intended to deepen bilateral exchanges and collaborations pertaining to smart and green transportation, 5G communications, and electric buses.

The delegation met with Taiwan’s transport-related government agencies and visited leading electric bus businesses with the goal of creating a supply chain between democratic allies. The group also visited Kaohsiung in the hope of establishing sister city ties between the southern Taiwanese port city and Klaipeda, Lithuania, also a port city.

The vice minister said the opening of the forthcoming Lithuania trade office in Taipei would kickstart more bilateral economic and trade cooperation in the future.

Paulius Lukauskas, an advisor to the Lithuanian prime minister, has been selected to head the Baltic nation’s trade office in Taipei beginning in September, the Lithuanian Ministry of Economy and Innovation said on Wednesday (Aug. 17).