China names combative diplomat as senior envoy for Europe
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Mr Lu Shaye's appointment comes when China-Europe relations are at an inflection point.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING - China has named controversial diplomat and former ambassador to France, Mr Lu Shaye, as Special Representative for European Affairs, said the Foreign Ministry on Feb 6.
Mr Lu, 60, earned a reputation for making frequent combative statements during his five-year tenure as Beijing’s envoy to Paris, which ended in December.
These include his 2023 claim that former Soviet states had “no effective status in international law”, which angered numerous European Union member states.
Mr Lu will promote dialogue and cooperation with Europe, and “contribute to the stable and healthy development of China-EU relations”, ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a press briefing.
Mr Lu’s appointment comes as China-Europe relations are at an inflection point, after US President Donald Trump slapped tariffs of 10 per cent on Chinese goods
Mr Trump has also repeatedly suggested he wants to buy Greenland
As transatlantic ties come under strain, China hawks such as European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are showing signs of willingness to rethink the relationship between Beijing and Brussels, a bond that had badly deteriorated over trade tensions and China’s ties with Russia.
In response, China’s Foreign Ministry on Feb 5 said it is willing to work with Brussels to respond to “global challenges”, after Dr von der Leyen said on Feb 4 at Davos that both sides should “find solutions” of mutual interest – a marked shift in tone on China.
However, Mr Lu’s controversial past comments has caused many diplomats to react with surprise to the appointment.
“We still very much remember the Baltic states remark,” said a Beijing-based European diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous.
In 2022, Mr Lu suggested during a television interview that Taiwanese people would undergo “re-education” after China takes over the democratic self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, he publicly called French analyst Antoine Bondaz a “crazed hyena” and “little rascal”, while his embassy published an article falsely claiming that French nursing home staff abandoned patients to die of the coronavirus.
So far, there has been no sign of Mr Lu being publicly disciplined by Beijing for his remarks.
China’s embassy in Paris previously said his comments on former Soviet states were “an expression of personal views”, while the Foreign Ministry later distanced itself by saying that China respects the “sovereign status” of all former Soviet countries.
Mr Lu replaces Mr Wu Hongbo, 72, who was appointed to the role in 2019 when it was first created.
The veteran French-speaking diplomat previously served as ambassador to Canada and Senegal. REUTERS
