“Mrs. Colonna, we ask you to declare Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye persona non grata”

2023-04-23 18:34:23

Madams the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna,

It is as members of parliament that we are writing to draw your attention to our call on the French government to take action regarding the aggressive remarks made on Friday April 21 on LCI by the Chinese ambassador to France, Mr. Lu Shaye; remarks which clearly violate international law and which must be considered as a threat to the security of France’s European partner countries.

Ambassador Lu Shaye publicly asserted that the former Soviet republics had no effective status under international law, arguing in particular that there was no “no international agreement to materialize their status”. Such comments go well beyond the limits of acceptable diplomatic discourse. It is about “wolves warriors” at their peak, which must not remain unanswered.

Besides being a profound insult to the history, culture and fundamental integrity of the nations concerned, the Ambassador’s remarks aim to undermine the fundamental principles on which predictable diplomatic relations are based. It is not for China – or any other nation – to question the sovereignty of others. Sovereignty is not a diplomatic toy, but the fundamental element of international relations, international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

Send an unequivocal message

At a time when war is raging in Europe following Russia’s aggression against the territorial integrity of its neighbor Ukraine, it is imperative that the democratic world send an unequivocal message to authoritarian nations to defend the sovereignty of our allies.

This is not the first time Ambassador Lu has made outrageous and derogatory remarks. He recently said that the people of Taiwan should be “re-educated”once passed under the control of Beijing.

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In the recent past, the French government has acted quickly to expel diplomats who have spoken inappropriately. It is with these precedents in mind that we therefore ask you to declare Ambassador Lu Shaye persona non grata, in response to his totally unacceptable behavior.

We hope that you will take these steps to underline France’s commitment to the fundamental values ​​that unite us in Europe, but also elsewhere with partners who share our approach.

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