European governments reacted swiftly, condemning the remarks. Numerous EU politicians called on France to expel Lu Shaye, the author of the “unacceptable and outrageous” statement.
In response to Europe’s rejection of the ambassador’s position, the Chinese foreign ministry was compelled to state that China honoured the sovereignty of all states that became independent after the Soviet Union collapsed.
The Chinese chargé d’affaires, when summoned to Estonia’s foreign ministry to give an explanation, went even further and added that Crimea was designated on Chinese-published maps “as part of Ukraine”.
Was the Chinese ambassador’s statement an insignificant digression from Beijing’s official position? But despite the clarification (as opposed to a retraction), the envoy’s utterance in France, even if spontaneous and unsanctioned, clearly betrays a collective totalitarian mindset, especially in the context of Russia’s assault against Ukraine and the precarious position of Taiwan. We note that the same Chinese diplomat has previously stated that “the Taiwanese, after being conquered, must undergo re-education”. No corrections/retractions then.
