It is reported that despite China's repeated dissuasion and strong opposition, the Lithuanian government ignored the overall situation of bilateral relations and approved the Taiwan Province provincial authorities to set up the so-called "Taiwan Province Representative Office in Lithuania". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China issued a statement on 2 1, announcing that the diplomatic relations between China and Lithuania were downgraded to the agency level. Many friends may not quite understand what the agent level is. Let's learn what it means to lower the diplomatic relations between China and Lithuania to the agency level with Bian Xiao.

What do you mean by agent level? Theoretically, diplomatic representatives are ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiaries, ministers extraordinary and plenipotentiaries and agents.

The ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, referred to as ambassador for short, is the highest-level diplomatic representative and the representative sent by one head of state to another country.

The Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary is a diplomatic representative sent by a head of state to another head of state, but he is not treated as well as an ambassador and enjoys the same diplomatic privileges and immunities as an ambassador.

An agent is the lowest diplomatic representative sent by the foreign minister of one country to the foreign minister of another country. The courtesy of agents is lower than that of ambassadors and ministers, but the diplomatic privileges and immunities enjoyed by agents are the same as those of ambassadors and ministers.

After 1954, according to the agreement between the two governments, China sent agents to Britain and the Netherlands successively, with the task of continuing to discuss the establishment of diplomatic relations and handling overseas Chinese affairs and business. This is a special practice before establishing normal diplomatic relations.

Different from the resident charge d 'affaires, the Chargé d 'affaires is a diplomat who temporarily presides over the affairs of the embassy when the director of the embassy is on vacation, leaves his post or is unable to attend the affairs for some reason. A charge d 'affaires is not a diplomatic representative, but generally the highest-ranking diplomat in charge of government affairs in a diplomatic representative office.

Without the prior consent of the host country, diplomats were appointed as charge d 'affaires.

This is the introduction of what it means to lower the diplomatic relations between China and Lithuania to the agency level. At this time, the lowest-level diplomatic representative is now, and if it is serious, it will be broken.