Global Courant 2023-04-24 23:38:05
The Chinese government has tried to contain the damage of a diplomatic dispute after China’s ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, publicly questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet member states.
Lu was interviewed on Friday by Swiss journalist Darius Rochebin on a TV program on La Chaine Info (LCI). Commenting on Crimea’s sovereignty, he replied that the issue “depends on how the issue is perceived”, as the region was originally part of Russia, but was then offered to Ukraine during the Soviet era.
When Rochebin said Crimea belongs to Ukraine under international law, Lu said the former Soviet countries have no “effective status in international law”.
The Chinese embassy in Paris said in a statement on Monday rack that Lu’s comments were an expression of personal views and not a political statement. It said the comments should not be over-interpreted.
Lu’s comments sparked vehement complaints from three Baltic states, including Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as inquiries from France and the European Union. About 80 European legislators signed a letter appeal to the French government to expel Lu.
Chinese officials tried to smooth out the troubled waters. “After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with relevant countries,” said Mao Ning, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry. said during a regular press briefing on Monday. “Since establishing diplomatic relations, China has always adhered to the principles of mutual respect and equal treatment to develop bilateral friendly cooperation relations.”
“China’s position remains unchanged and clear,” Mao said. “China respects the sovereignty status of the former members of the disintegrated Soviet Union.”
She added that some news outlets deliberately misinterpreted China’s position on the Ukraine issue and maliciously tried to sow discord between China and relevant countries.
She said that Ukraine is a sovereign state because it is a member of the United Nations. However, she did not clarify China’s position on Crimea’s sovereignty.
She also declined to comment on Lu’s speech, but stressed that her words represent China’s official position.
Praise from Moscow
Dmitry Belik, a member of the Russian Duma or parliament, praised Lu for stating that Crimea was originally part of Russia.
“The statement by the Chinese ambassador poured cold water on Westerners, who are agitated by anti-Russian nonsense,” Belik told Sputnik on Sunday. “Leaders of major countries in the world clearly know that the return of the Crimean peninsula to Russia is a natural step, based on the democratic will of people and a fulfillment of historical development.”
He said Russia and China are the countries fighting for “real democracy.”
After Russian troops annexed Crimea, a referendum was held in March 2014 to declare the region part of Russia. But the United Nations has adopted a non-binding agreement solution to underline the invalidity of the referendum.
Russian soldiers occupy Crimea’s legislative building, Verkhovna Rada, during the February 27, 2014 attack. Photo: Wikipedia/VOA
Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, published Monday criticizing the French TV program for failing to protect Lu’s right to express himself.
“Lu’s interview is very long. I read his blanket statements and found no problem,” Hu writes in the Weibo post. “Although he is a diplomat, his official representativeness diminishes when he comments on issues outside his jurisdiction.”
“His comments on Ukrainian issues were made in a special context during the interview and should not be singled out and put under a magnifying glass,” says Hu. “Since the French TV station asked for this interview, it should protect Lu’s right of expression, instead of turning its back on it and making political charges. This is a shame for France.”
Hu says Lu did not jump to any arbitrary conclusion about the Ukrainian issues and remained polite in the interview, but the Western media wrongly labeled him a “wolf warrior.”
Hu says that Lu should try to resolve foreigners’ misunderstandings, while Chinese should continue to support Lu. He hopes the dispute will have a “soft landing”.
China’s peace plan
China’s stance on the war in Ukraine has been in the news media’s attention since Beijing released a report Statement of 12 points on February 24 calling for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
China said at the time that the sovereignty of all countries should be protected in accordance with international laws, including the UN Charter. But it did not address whether Russia should withdraw its troops from Ukraine’s Donbas region, or even Crimea.
After French President Emmanuel Macron visited China and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping between April 5 and 7, he told the media that Europe must reduce its dependence on the United States and avoid being dragged into a confrontation between China and the US over Taiwan. Macron expressed hope that China will help Moscow end the war in Ukraine. His stance has sparked controversy among the US and its allies.
After Lu’s interview on Friday by LCI, the Chinese embassy in Paris posted a translation of the interview, but deleted Lu’s comments about the sovereignty of former members of the Soviet Union.
Last August, Lu faced international criticism after claiming that Beijing would impose re-education after it annexes Taiwan.
Negative comments
Many Chinese commentators and netizens criticized Lu for his last speech. Despite heavy censorship in China, their comments remain available on the internet.
A columnist from Henan article published on Monday is entitled “Provoke 15 nations with one sentence? Is Lu’s aggressive speech right or wrong?”
“Lu Shaye’s sharp sword pointed not at the shameless United States and Western countries, but at many of our old friends,” the author writes. “We have maintained friendly relations with the 15 ex-Soviet Union members, with the exception of three Baltic states. Among them, Russia has formed a back-to-back partnership with us and is an important power to fight Western hegemony.”
He says Beijing does not care about the complaints of the three Baltic countries, but is concerned about the feelings of the remaining 12 countries, including five Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan. He says these Belt and Road countries could help China diversify its energy resources.
“With just one sentence, Lu may have ruined all our diplomatic efforts in Central Asia” and worsened China’s “international environment,” he says. “From any perspective, Lu’s speech is unprofessional and extreme and has had a major negative impact on us.”
“Our diplomats must have excellent debating skills and skills,” said Kong Fan, a Sichuan-based reporter for Nouvelles d’Europe, a pro-Beijing newspaper, say in an article. “Faced with the traps of Western media with malicious intent, diplomats must stick to the theme of the debate, rather than speak out or be guided by these media.”
Kong says diplomats should accurately convey the country’s point of view during interviews.
Read: China’s ironic restraint on land grabbing in Ukraine
Follow Jeff Pao on Twitter at @jeffpao3
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