Dissatisfied with the Chinese Communist Party‘s statements and practices, the French Foreign Ministry summoned Communist Ambassador Lu Shano on March 23.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Le Drian summoned Chinese Ambassador Lu Shano to France on March 23 to express his dissatisfaction with the embassy’s words and actions that crossed a red line. The source said that Lushano was interrupted by Le Drian before he tried to mention Taiwan. The source said that he was interrupted by Le Drian when he tried to mention Taiwan.
The French Foreign Ministry said, “At the request of Foreign Minister Le Drian (Jean-Yves Le Drian), we summoned Ambassador Roussano in the morning to express to him our displeasure with him.”
When Roussano arrived at the Foreign Ministry for his appointment on the morning of the 23rd, Foreign Ministry Director for Asian Affairs Bertrand Lortholary told Roussano: “The (Chinese) embassy’s approach and the tone of its public comments are totally unacceptable and go beyond the boundaries of what is generally accepted by any embassy in the world. The insults, incitement and threats against members of Congress, academics, journalists, these intimidation practices lead to fundamental problems.”
The meeting lasted about 20 minutes, and when Luciano tried to mention Taiwan, he was told to make another appointment. A diplomatic source said, “We don’t want to classify him as persona non grata, but we want the attacks to stop. His attitude is not in line with his role of seeking common ground, but rather has become a problem for Franco-Chinese relations.”
Roussano declined an invitation from the French Foreign Ministry on the 22nd, citing “itinerary relations”. The French Foreign Ministry responded with an official press release last night, stating that “in light of the inappropriate public statements made by the Chinese (Communist) Embassy over the past few days, including insults and threats against members of Congress and an academic, we hereby remind the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of the basic norms governing the operation of foreign missions, such as public statements. The Chinese (Communist) Embassy is requested to respect the convention.”
In a press release, the French Foreign Ministry said that respect for principles and fundamental freedoms is a requirement for everyone in France, including freedom of scholarship and research, personal freedom, respect for the separation of powers and the principles of the French Constitution. “The stigmatization of independent scholars and the controversy with French parliamentarians are not only unacceptable, but should not exist at all in the Franco-Chinese relations that the Chinese Embassy is responsible for promoting. The Chinese Embassy should respect the separation of powers and all the laws of the French Republic”.
The press release concluded by saying that the French Foreign Ministry would summon Roussano to deliver the above message to him in person.
Le Drian himself also tweeted two posts in a row on Twitter on the evening of the 22nd in response to the Chinese embassy in France, in a rather grim tone, which shows the seriousness of the situation. He wrote: “The statements and actions of the Chinese embassy in France against European parliamentarians, academics and diplomats are totally unacceptable. I have asked to summon the Chinese (Communist) ambassador to France to sternly remind him of these messages.”
Clement Beaune, secretary of state for European affairs, was interviewed on France Info on the morning of the 23rd and questioned, “I don’t believe in the trip, and it doesn’t make sense. France and Europe are not stupid. If we were ambassadors, when we were summoned, we would have gone to meet the foreign minister.”
The Chinese Communist Party’s war-wolf diplomacy not only annoyed the French government, but also touched a sensitive nerve in French diplomacy. The French newspaper Le Figaro writes that, in contrast to its usual low-profile approach, the Foreign Ministry chose to publicly express its displeasure with Lu Shano through a press release, arguing that he had “crossed a red line”.
Antoine Bondaz, a researcher at the French Foundation for Strategic Studies (FRS) who was called a “rogue” by the Chinese embassy in a 19th tweet, hailed the foreign minister’s summons as an “indispensable high-level correction.
The ambassador criticized the parliamentary visit, which is his right,” Bondaz told the Figaro newspaper. But he has no right to demand how French parliamentarians act or who they can meet with in Taiwan. It is unacceptable to give orders like that.” He said, “I have been the target of personal attacks and incitement. This does not reflect the complexity of Chinese society and brings a bad image of China (Communist Party) in France.”
Poindazi said, “We used to think that not talking openly about human rights in China would bring us economic benefits. But that was a mistake, because this issue is at the heart of power relations. If we are unable to defend our values, our model, then in this hostility, China (the Communist Party) will try to discredit our system.”
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