Beijing (Brussels Moring Newspaper) – China has designated ex-ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, as Special Representative for European Affairs, the Chinese foreign ministry announced.
Special Representative for European Affairs will foster dialogue and cooperation with Europe and “contribute to the stable and healthy development of China-EU relations”, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a press briefing.
His selection comes when China-Europe ties are at an inflexion point after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 10% tariffs on China and threatened tariffs on the European Union last week as another expression of his isolationist agenda. He has also repeatedly indicated he desires to purchase Greenland, a territory of Denmark.
What makes Shaye a notable diplomat?
Lu Shaye gained a reputation for making regular combative statements during his five-year term as Beijing’s envoy to France, which concluded in December. These included his 2023 declaration that ex-Soviet nations had “no effective status in international law”, which enraged numerous European Union member nations.
In 2022, Lu proposed during a television discussion that Taiwanese people would go through “re-education” after Beijing seized the democratic self-ruled island, which Beijing argues as its own. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he publicly labelled French analyst Antoine Bondaz a “crazed hyena” and “little rascal”. Meanwhile, his embassy published an article falsely asserting that French nursing home staff dumped patients to die of the coronavirus.
Is China growing closer to the EU?
According to experts, as transatlantic relations come under pressure, China hawks such as EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are exhibiting signs of readiness to rethink the connection between Beijing and Brussels.
In reaction, China’s foreign ministry stated it is willing to perform with the EU to react to “global challenges” after von der Leyen expressed at Davos that both sides should “find solutions” of mutual interest – a significant shift in tone on Beijing.
