Breaking: Chinese Ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, is set to return to China - Singtao Daily
Chinese Ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, 58, is set to return to China to head the China Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CAFFC), ending his four-year tenure in France, according to Singtao Daily. This move transitions Lu into a new role engaging in civilian diplomacy as president of CAFFC.
His departure has fueled speculation that Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deng Li, may succeed him as the Chinese envoy in France.
CAFFC, a national people's organization focused on civilian diplomacy, will be passed from the hands of its current president, Lin Songtian, former ambassador to South Africa, to Lu, according to Singtao Daily.
Deng, 58, originally from Quanzhou, Fujian Province, and fluent in French, has an extensive diplomatic background. He has previously held the position of the Chinese ambassador to France and Turkey, Director-General of the West Asia and North Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs. As of 2021, Deng serves as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for managing West Asia, North Africa, Africa, Europe, consular affairs, and archival work. Lu's departure from France and Deng's potential appointment as the new ambassador comes at a time when French President Macron has advocated for European strategic autonomy and voiced opposition to NATO's eastward expansion. These developments underline the strategic significance of Sino-French relations in the shifting international landscape.