A desire for business as normal with Beijing is coming up hard against the ugly reality of Xi’s swaggering authoritarianism
… Outraged by tweets from Lu Shaye, China’s “wolf warrior” ambassador in Paris, in which he described a respected French academic as a “crazed hyena” and “small-time hoodlum”, Clément Beaune, France’s Europe minister, summoned the wayward diplomat for a customary dressing-down.
Imagine his horror when Lu, ignoring protocol, said he was too busy to come. The French were aghast. “This is not how things are done,” Beaune spluttered. “Neither France nor Europe is a doormat.”
Yet this increasingly appears to be how Xi Jinping, China’s bullish president, and the Communist party view the EU. Or if not exactly a doormat, then a decidedly second-rate, fractious power bloc whose business and goodwill are dispensable.
If Meng were not held Justin would be lecturing us on the need to respect China.
Even now he refuses to say the word “genocide.”
Our political, corporate and academic classes have done well in the thrall of Beijing.
A return to business as usual with China’s tyrannical regime is the goal of the West’s China class.
