Furious with Lithuania for permitting Taiwan to open a representative office, China on Sunday downgraded diplomatic ties with it to the level of charge d’affaires, a move that could further damage Beijing’s relations with the European Union, as the tiny Baltic nation with less than 3 million population is an influential member of the bloc.

“There is only one China in the world and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.