China has appointed the controversial diplomat and former ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, as Special Representative for European Affairs, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
At 60, Lu gained a reputation for making frequent provocative statements during his five-year tenure as Beijing's envoy to Paris, which ended in December. One of his most contentious remarks was in 2023, when he claimed that ex-Soviet states had "no effective status in international law," a statement that angered several European Union member states.
Lu will promote dialogue and cooperation with Europe and "contribute to the stable and healthy development of China-EU relations", ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a press briefing.
His appointment comes when China-Europe relations are at an inflection point, after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped 10% tariffs on China and threatened tariffs on Europe last week as part of his isolationist agenda. He has also repeatedly suggested he wants to buy Greenland, a territory of Denmark.
As transatlantic ties come under strain, China hawks such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are showing signs of willingness to rethink the relationship between Beijing and Brussels, a bond that had badly deteriorated over trade tensions and China's ties with Russia.
In response, China's foreign ministry yesterday said it is willing to work with Brussels to respond to 'global challenges', after von der Leyen said at Davos that both sides should 'find solutions' of mutual interest - a marked shift in tone on China.
However, Lu's controversial past comments caused many diplomats to react with surprise to the appointment.
"We still very much remember the Baltic states remark", said a Beijing-based European diplomat, asking to remain anonymous.
In 2022, Lu suggested during a television interview that Taiwanese people would undergo 're-education' after China takes over the democratic self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own.
So far, there has been no indication that Lu has faced any public reprimand from Beijing for his comments. China's embassy in Paris had earlier stated that his remarks on ex-Soviet states were 'an expression of personal views', while the foreign ministry later clarified that China respects the 'sovereign status', of all former Soviet countries. Lu succeeds Wu Hongbo, 72, who was appointed to the position in 2019 when it was first established. The experienced French-speaking diplomat had previously served as ambassador to Canada and Senegal.