The Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, recently made controversial remarks questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states, including Ukraine and the Baltic states.
Speaking on the French television station TF1 on Friday, April 21, the ambassador said post-Soviet nations "do not have an effective status in international law."
What?
Such a response caused diplomatic consternation across Europe, with his remarks widely covered in the American press.
Beijing gave all the correct signs as it moved swiftly to limit the damage.
The New York Times reported that after the Chinese Foreign Ministry briefing on Monday, April 24, in Beijing, the Chinese Embassy in Paris issued a statement rejecting Lu's remarks.
The embassy declared with a straight face that the good ambassador's comments "were not a political declaration but an expression of personal points of view during a televised debate" and "should not be subject to over-interpretation."
What?
A "personal viewpoint."
Trust me, when one is a member of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, all personal viewpoints on anything are extinguished.
Nikkei reports that given that Lu has a low rank in the party hierarchy while equally trusted enough to be stationed in an important European country as China's top envoy, it is hard to think that he would make remarks that are wildly off the mark from China's fundamental policies.
So hard, frankly, it is impossible.
So why would Lu make these remarks on such a public platform?
Although his comments are illogical from the international law perspective, they must be seen as an attempt to pander to Putin and send a goodwill message to Russia.
Lu's statements follow French President Emmanuel Macron's comments on Taiwan, leading some to speculate that China is taking advantage of France to further its diplomatic objectives.
Despite claims that China has abandoned its wolf warrior diplomacy, Lu's remarks suggest otherwise.
Lu has a pattern of speaking frankly to send a message that Beijing wants to be delivered.
In 2017, while stationed in Ottawa as China's ambassador to Canada, Lu clarified that Beijing did not want Canada to conduct national security reviews of Chinese takeovers of Canadian companies, calling such reviews protectionism.
While in Ottawa, Lu also called Canadian national security concerns over Huawei "baseless," saying Canada must decide whether to include the tech giant in its 5G network.
And back in August 2022, while stationed in Paris, Lu again on French television suggested the Taiwanese would be "re-educated" after Beijing occupied them.
Last Friday, Lu Shaye knew precisely what he was doing when he provided his "personal viewpoint" when speaking on French television station TF1.
Despite claims that China has abandoned its wolf warrior diplomacy, Lu's recent remarks suggest otherwise.
Lu fulfilled his Beijing-directed mission by sending a message of reassurance to Putin diplomatically with wolf warrior panache.
— Marc
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