Chinese Ambassador 'too Busy' For Summons By Paris

French officials expect China's ambassador in Paris to comply "as quickly as possible" with a foreign ministry summons over recent tweets targeting French lawmakers and a researcher, Europe Minister Clement Beaune said on Tuesday.

The foreign ministry called in ambassador Lu Shaye on Monday over what it called his "unacceptable comments" in recent days, including "insults and threats."

But Beaune said Lu had snubbed the summons, with the Chinese embassy in Paris citing "scheduling issues" in a Twitter post late on Monday and saying the envoy would appear on Tuesday.

"I don't really believe there's a scheduling problem, and this isn't how these things work," Beaune told France Info radio.

"Neither France nor Europe is a doormat," he warned. "When you are summoned as an ambassador, you pay a visit to the foreign ministry."

Lu, an envoy known for his aggressive and outspoken comments on the embassy's Twitter account, has targeted several people recently including Antoine Bondaz, a China specialist at the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS) think-tank.

Starting on Friday, he derided Bondaz as a "small-time hoodlum," a "crazed hyena" and "ideological troll" with "anti-Chinese" stances after Bondaz complained about Chinese pressure on French lawmakers hoping to visit Taiwan.

Lu also took aim at French lawmakers who wanted to travel to Taiwan.

The diplomatic spat comes as China reacted furiously to new Western sanctions over rights violations and a crackdown against a Muslim Uyghur minority it accuses of religious extremism.

Rights groups believe at least one million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in camps in the northwestern region, where China is also accused of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labour.

Beijing responded with entry bans on 10 Europeans – including five members of the European Parliament – as well as two EU bodies and two think-tanks. (AFP)