Is he a loose cannon, or did China's ambassador to France just test the waters for a more offensive posture on Ukraine? Lu Shaye has made headlines before, most notably with his wolf warrior calls to order over Taiwan. Now come his latest comments questioning not only Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea, but the very legitimacy of the 14 independent states that peeled off from Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed. The embassy claims he was speaking only for himself.
We ask how that sits in capitals where Chinese diplomats have since been summoned, as well as in Brussels, which is torn over trade ties with Beijing, and Kyiv, which has been trying to keep channels open but wonders if China looks at Ukraine as Russia's Tibet, Xinjiang or Taiwan.
More broadly, what's lost in translation in the messages Europe exchanges with China's leadership and how convincing are Beijing's arguments?
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Imen Mellaz and Aline Bottin.
