France warns Chinese envoy for ignoring Foreign Ministry summons over threatening tweets

French foreign ministry on Tuesday warned the Chinese envoy in the country to comply with the summon order issued in response to his threatening tweets against members of European and national parliaments and also researchers. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday summoned Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye to talk about the “unacceptable comments”, including in the form of insults and threats. However, after the envoy failed to show up on Tuesday, Europe Minister Clement Beaune accused the Chinese side of deliberately ignoring the summon. 

Beaune accused Chinese envoy Lu Shaye of snubbing the French foreign ministry’s summon, saying the ambassador’s excuse of having prior engagement is not acceptable. On Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in France issued a statement saying, “Ambassador Lu Shaye did not visit the French MFA today due to an agenda. Tomorrow, he will go there to make representations to the French side on the sanctions imposed by the EU on Chinese individuals and entities and on issues related to Taiwan”. 

Beaune, while speaking to a local radio station, said he didn't believe Shaye had a scheduling problem. Beaune said, “neither France nor Europe is a doormat”. One needs to report when summoned by a foreign ministry, adding that is the basic protocol followed in a rules-based country. 

'Crazed Hyena'

Shaye was summoned by the French foreign ministry after he posted a series of tweets targeting Antoine Bondaz, an expert on China at the think-tank Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS). Shaye called Bondaz a “small-time hoodlum” and “crazed hyena” after the latter criticised Beijing for pressurizing French lawmakers against visiting Taiwan. Shaye also threatened the lawmakers who wanted to visit the disputed island nation in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims as its own territory.

Relations between Europe and China are not at their best at the moment as just recently the bloc sanctioned four Chinese individuals for their alleged involvement in the repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province. In response, China sanctioned EU officials for interference in its internal affairs. 

(Image Credit: AP)