Photo: VCG

China is not seeking revenge, it is seeking the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Lu Shaye, Chinese Ambassador to France, said in an interview with French public national television channel France 2 on Thursday, in response to a question on the so-called Wolf Warrior style diplomacy of China.

"I am a Chinese diplomat," Lu said when asked in the interview whether he is also a "wolf warrior."

Lu noted that, the so-called Wolf Warrior diplomacy, which is believed to be a more aggressive and combative diplomatic style, is not defined by China, but a label that the others have put on China.

China's diplomacy always keeps pace with the times, Lu noted. The West is not adapted to the current style of China's diplomacy as they were used to China not responding to their attacks in the past. The situation has changed. But what China is doing is just to respond to attacks from the other side, attacks from Westerners, he stressed in the interview.

When asked whether China is seeking revenge for being aggressive in some aspects, Lu noted what China is seeking is the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, instead of seeking revenge, after seeing a historical regression and being ravaged by Western powers in the past 200 years. 

"China never wanted to rule the world. I must make it clear to you that China only wants to develop with the rest of the world," Lu said.

In the interview, Lu also talked about issues such as China's fight against the COVID-19, Huawei, Xinjiang and human rights, and he refuted false statements on these issues.

Uygur people in China are leading a happy life and have been well treated, Lu said, refuting rumors about the so-called detention camps and forced labor camps targeting Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Since the end of 2016, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region government has taken counter-terrorism measures, and set up vocational training centers to de-radicalize people eroded by terrorism and extremist ideas, Lu explained, noting these institutions are not "detention camps," but training centers similar to educational institutions.

Lu explained that China has complete transparency on Xinjiang, and has invited more than 1,000 people from 100 countries to Xinjiang, including overseas reporters.

Lu also said in the interview that China has always respected human rights, and didn't try to modify human rights issues in international institutions ̶  namely, lowering the priority of human rights issues.

From the perspective of achieving the goals of the Communist Party of China, human rights are a priority issue, but China's view of human rights is probably different from that of the West, Lu explained.

In China's human rights view, people's right to life, right to development and right to gaining happiness are the first human rights to be guaranteed, which should be the same for people in the whole world, Lu noted.