“代办级外交关系”是什么意思
今天看到的环球时报英文版的一句话“China decided on Sunday to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Lithuania to the level of chargé d’affaires”
中国决定将与立陶宛（Lithuania）的外交等级（从大使级）降为代办级。
什么是“代办级”？
根据《维也纳外交关系公约》，外交等级分为三等，分别为：
1.大使级（ambassador）：An ambassador is an important official who lives in a foreign country and represents his or her own country’s interests there.
2.公使级（minister）：A minister is a person who officially represents their government in a foreign country and has a lower rank than an ambassador.
3.代办级（charge d’affaires）：A chargé d’affaires is a person appointed to act as head of a diplomatic mission in a foreign country while the ambassador is away.
您了解了吗，大使➡公使➡代办三种外交代表的重要程度是依次递减的关系。代办，是由一国外交部长向另一国外交部长派遣的外交人员，也是最低一级的外交代表。代办所受礼遇低于大使、公使，但所享有的外交特权和豁免权与大使、公使相同。
低于代办级便是断绝外交关系（to cut off diplomatic ties）。
