In this 2018 file photo, China's representative to France Lu Shaye speaks at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Ottawa.The Canadian Press
Beijing has corrected statements by its ambassador to France, saying China does indeed recognize the sovereignty of former Soviet states.
The rare – albeit minor – rebuke of a serving diplomat may help tamp down the international outrage over Lu Shaye’s remarks, with many countries calling for France to withdraw its recognition of the ambassador.
In an interview broadcast on French television Friday, Mr. Lu defended Russia’s claims to Crimea and said “ex-USSR countries don’t have actual status in international law because there is no international agreement to materialize their sovereign status.”
All former Soviet states are members of the United Nations and have diplomatic relations with Beijing. Beyond that, just what kind of international agreement Mr. Lu had in mind was unclear.
“China respects the status of former Soviet republics as sovereign countries after the Soviet Union’s dissolution,” Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Monday, and that’s “the official position of the Chinese government.”
In a letter sent to the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs on Sunday, more than 70 European lawmakers urged Mr. Lu to be declared persona non grata, saying his comments were “well beyond the boundaries of acceptable diplomatic discourse.”
“At a time when a war is raging in Europe as a result of Russia’s assault on the territorial integrity of its neighbour Ukraine, it is imperative that the democratic world deliver an unequivocal message to authoritarian nations in defence of the sovereignty of our allies,” they wrote.
Paris earlier expressed “full solidarity” with all allied countries affected by Mr. Lu’s remarks, adding that they had acquired their independence “after decades of oppression.”
“On Ukraine specifically, it was internationally recognized within borders including Crimea in 1991 by the entire international community, including China,” a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson said.
The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, also criticized the remarks, as did officials from the Baltic states and Ukraine.
“It is strange to hear an absurd version of the ‘history of Crimea’ from a representative of a country that is scrupulous about its thousand-year history,” Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior Ukrainian presidential aide, wrote on Twitter.
Mr. Lu, a former ambassador to Canada who has been China’s top representative to France since 2019, is known for making controversial remarks.
In an interview in 2021, he embraced the label of “wolf warrior,” after a jingoistic Chinese film of the same name. Last year, he sparked outrage for claiming that the people of Taiwan needed to be “re-educated to eliminate separatist thought and secessionist theory.” Beijing claims the self-ruled island as its territory and has vowed to seize it by force if necessary.
The latest controversy comes at a sensitive time for Sino-European relations. Foreign and defence ministers of EU states gathered Monday for a meeting led by Mr. Borrell, as the bloc re-evaluates relations with Beijing and considers efforts to “de-risk” the relationship. Ties have suffered as a result of Beijing’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and concerns over China’s human-rights record.
Ahead of the meeting, EU Council President Charles Michel said the bloc’s leaders will also discuss China during their summit in June.
Mr. Borrell has himself come under fire from Beijing for a column published Sunday in which he called for European navies “to patrol the Taiwan Strait to show Europe’s commitment to freedom of navigation in this absolutely crucial area.” Taiwan “concerns us economically, commercially and technologically,” he added.
His remarks were an apparent pushback to comments by French President Emmanuel Macron after a visit to China earlier this month, when he implied that Taiwan was not an issue for Europe.
“Borrell’s remarks are extremely dangerous and could lead to severe consequences for China-EU ties and Europe’s future,” Chinese state broadcaster CGTN said in an editorial Monday, adding that Mr. Borrell “lacks rationality in managing ties with China” and was “dancing to the U.S. tune.”
With reports from Reuters