Wolf Warrior Diplomat Bares Out China’s Duplicity

In response to a question on whether Crimea was part of Ukraine or not, Chinese envoy Lu Shaye in an interview with the French television channel LCI said, “These ex-USSR countries don’t have actual status in international law because there is no international agreement to materialise their sovereign status”¹. Known for his abrasive style and hawkish approach, the wolf-warrior diplomat, Lu’s statements drew the ire of the European countries and kicked up a storm.

The three Baltic nations- Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, the former Soviet Union nations, and part of the EU bloc, including Ukraine, took a serious exception to his remarks. Baltic countries demanded official clarification and reportedly issued summons to their Chinese envoys in their capitals for an explanation. Though France appeared frazzled by Lu’s remarks, the ambassador wasn’t summoned for any explanation. Baltic nations termed the Chinese envoy’s remarks totally unacceptable and Latvia demanded an “explanation from the Chinese side and complete retraction of his statement”.

These reckless remarks have come at a time when President Emmanuel Macron’s statement has deepened the existing fissures within the EU. Pushing for an independent foreign policy, Macron suggested that EU member states should stop being “vassals” and that the bloc could function as a “third bloc” in geopolitics alongside the US and China². He also mentioned that France’s position on the “statusquo” in Taiwan remains unchanged and that Paris, “supports the One China policy and the search for a peaceful resolution to the solution”³.

Independent security and foreign policy have always been central to Macron’s vision for Europe and a call for strategic autonomy received a huge fillip amid fraying trans-Atlantic bonds during the Trump era. But the Ukraine crisis has ebbed the calls for strategic autonomy. Macron’s comments drew instant criticism from leaders in European who had to defend his statement which had reference to the Taiwan issue as well. But his comments were more are less in line with France’s hesitancy to take a hard line with Beijing.

Lu’s statement has created a massive furore and backlash in Europe.  EU’s high representative Josep Borrell called the statement, “unacceptable” and EU Council president Charles Michel announced that ‘EU-China policy’ would be on the agenda of the next Council’s meeting in June. Europe’s pushback forced China’s foreign ministry to clarify its official stance.

Spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing, “respects the status of the former Soviet Republics as sovereign countries after the Soviet Union’s dissolution” and reiterated that the country’s position remains “unchanged”⁴. China distanced itself from Lu’s statements and reportedly removed the official transcript of the interview from the official WeChat account. Issuing a clarification, Chinese Embassy in France stated that Lu was not making a “political declaration, but an expression of his personal view during a televised debate”.

Be as it may, Lu’s statements have exposed China’s duplicity on two fronts. Lu’s reply to his position on Crimea “It depends on how you look at the problem. There’s history. Crimea was Russian at the start” has inadvertently sowed suspicion about China’s outlook. Lu’s position mirrored the West’s understanding of the Kremlin’s unwillingness to accept the sovereignty of Ukraine which is believed to be at the heart of the current Ukraine crisis by some analysts⁵. Aspersions on the sovereignty fly in the face of China which overtly towed a neutral position on Ukraine and now it mischievously raked doubts about its independent existence. These statements apparently blew into smithereens China’s façade of neutrality.

Trumping the Western belief of China playing a crucial role in finding the ‘path of peace’ in Ukraine, Lu’s statement has exposed the duplicity of Beijing. Since the eruption of the Ukraine conflict, Beijing has firmly resisted every attempt to condemn Russia. To abate Western criticism, Beijing has announced a 12-point peace plan on the eve of one year of the conflict and plans to speak to Zelensky. While there has been no progress on this front, flexing diplomatic muscle and riding high on the path-breaking mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Xi on his visit to Russia issued a joint statement on “deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era and stress settling the Ukraine crisis through dialogue”.

Notably, on the Ukraine issue, Russia and China agreed that “the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter must be observed and international law must be respected”⁶. By invoking “international law” and questioning the status of the Ex-Soviet Union countries, Lu has raised doubts about the ambiguous interpretations of the international law to which China subscribe to. The sub-continent is no stranger to China’s dubious interpretations of International Law. Through sweeping statements, Lu has made an attempt to upend the sovereignty of the nations.

Also, this has again brought to the fore, the discourteous overbearing nature of Lu Shaye who in January 2019, accused Canada of “white supremacy” imploring the release of two Canadian detained by China following the arrest of Huawei’s executive Meng Wanzhou. He triggered a diplomatic spat in 2021 by calling a French researcher, Antoine Bondaz critical of China’s Taiwan policy a “little thug” and a “troll”. He even tweeted that those who “portray themselves as researchers and members of the media and who furiously attack China were crazy hyenas”. He also lashed out at the French government and the EU in the past for condemning Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong⁷.

Lu’s comments mark the return of the imperious and tyrannical disposition of Chinese envoys that heralded the Wolf Warrior diplomacy. Macron on his state visit to Xi said, “I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses and everyone to the negotiating table”⁸. Lu’s outlook would now certainly prompt a reassessment on the part of French and Europe about China.

These comments should serve as a wake-up call to Europe which has pinned hopes on China to negotiate the Ukraine conflict. China’s territorial claims in the region stem from its refusal to accept the sovereignty of nations. Scrupulous about its thousand-year history, China never acknowledges the current boundaries of various nations in the region. On the pretext of China being the suzerain of Tibet for a brief period of time, Beijing annexed it and refused to accept the Mc Mahon line. This is at the root of the current border dispute between India and China. Similarly, it regards Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet and rejects Indian sovereignty and maliciously labels it as an illegal occupation.

The Taiwan issue is an extension of China’s non-acceptance of the independent existence of the island nation. Taiwan Presidential Debatesin 2016, has laid out bare the Chinese claims highlighting the fact- “Taiwan was only ruled by a Han Chinese regime based in China for only four years from 1945 to 1949; the worst four years in the nation’s history when troops systematically killed more than 20,000 elites, students and other people”⁹.

Guided by the doctrine of “Tianxia” or ‘all under the Heaven’, which alludes to China having received the Mandate as ruler of the World, China is rather insensitive towards the territorial integrity and sovereignty of other nations. It blatantly disregards the sovereignty of nations. Laying territorial claims to foreign lands has been integral to Chinese foreign policy. Building propaganda to bolster its claims is another accompanying aspect of it. The policy typically rests on the foundation of “what is mine is mine and what is yours is negotiable”. Adopting a maximalist position and bereft of negotiations, China’s intransigent policy has destroyed regional stability and peace. Given the reluctance of major European powers France and Germany to decouple from China and their push for a moderate stance toward China, it would be incumbent on the European Union to reassess its China policy in light of the current remarks of its envoy.

Ukraine crisis ramifications are looming large on Europe impacting its foreign policy. It is time, the EU takes stock of the baffling cacophony of views of European nations on China before overly relying on Beijing for the role of conflict mediation and for a deepening strategic partnership over a slew of issues.

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