The tension escalates further between China and Europe.
No sooner had the European Union announced that it was going to sanction four Chinese officials by banning them from staying in the EU for human rights violations in the Xinjiang region than Beijing retaliated by attacking four entities including Alliance of Democracies and ten European officials including researchers critical of Beijing such as the French Raphaël Glucksmann or MEPs.
In this context, China has just denounced the “intimidation and hypocrisy” of Europeans, after the summons of its ambassadors in several countries following the sanctions taken by Beijing against parliamentarians and organizations.
"China does not accept this unreasonable way of certain European countries to summon its ambassadors," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters.
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According to her, during their summons, the Chinese ambassadors "clearly stated the position" of their country and "solemnly protested against the Europeans", she added, considering that "the Europeans allow themselves to defame and attack others and arbitrarily impose sanctions based on false information and lies, but they refuse to let China respond and retaliate.
Beijing had also summoned ambassadors in return.
In France, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs severely lectured Ambassador Lu Shaye, accusing him of "insults, invective and threats" against a researcher, Antoine Bondaz, and French parliamentarians who intend to travel to Taiwan, l island claimed by Beijing.
Asia specialist at the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS), Antoine Bondaz was described as a "small strike" and "ideological troll" in a press release from the Chinese Embassy.
"We expect France to curb the researcher in question and ask him to stop spreading rumors and defaming China," said the Beijing spokeswoman.
China shows its power
Foreign Minister Wang Yi also stepped up to the plate on Tuesday during a meeting in China with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
"In recent days, a minority of Western powers have each spoken out to defame and criticize China," Wang Yi denounced before warning: "However, they must know this: the time when they could invent stories or fabricate lying in order to interfere in China's internal affairs is a thing of the past.
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And issue a warning.
“Frankly, European sanctions don't worry us at all,” Chinese diplomacy spokeswoman Hua Chunying told the press while hinting that the investment agreement signed at the end of 2020 between Beijing and China. The EU could suffer from bilateral disputes.
"The Europeans cannot get gains on one side and impose sanctions on the other," she observed.
However, China has become an essential economic and financial power for Europeans.