French Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Le Drian summoned the Chinese Communist Party‘s ambassador to France, Lu Shano, to express his displeasure with the embassy on Tuesday (23) for speaking and acting outside the generally accepted boundaries of any embassy in the world. The meeting lasted about 20 minutes, and when Roussano tried to mention Taiwan, he was told to make another appointment.
The Central News Agency reported that Lu Shano declined the French Foreign Ministry’s invitation on Monday, citing “schedule relations. The French Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, “At the request of Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, we summoned Ambassador Roussano in the morning to express our dissatisfaction with him.”
When Roussano arrived at the Foreign Ministry for his appointment Tuesday morning, Foreign Ministry Director for Asia 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, and 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 incompatible with his role of seeking common ground and has instead become a problem for French-Chinese relations.”
French foreign minister summons protest against war-wolf diplomacy Chinese Communist ambassador dodges
After Roussano declined the French Foreign Ministry’s invitation on Monday, the French Foreign Ministry responded with an official press release later that day, stating, “In light of the inappropriate public statements made by the Chinese Embassy over the past few days, including insults and threats against members of parliament and an academic, we hereby remind the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of the basic norms governing the operation of diplomatic missions, such as those on public statements. The Chinese 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 stating that the French Foreign Ministry will summon Roussano to deliver this message to him in person.
Le Drian himself also tweeted two posts on Twitter on the evening of the 22nd in response to the Chinese embassy in France, in a rather grim tone, the seriousness of the situation is evident. 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 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: “The trip, I don’t believe it, 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 wrote that, in contrast to its usual low profile, 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), whom the Chinese embassy called a “rogue” 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 to 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 will try to discredit our system.”
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