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China Several foreign missions in Beijing had been told not to display “politicized propaganda” on their buildings, the diplomat told Reuters, adding that the request appeared to be aimed at the Ukrainian flag they had displayed since the Russian invasion.
European Union, British, German and Polish missions in Beijing also displayed images of the Ukrainian flag. (document)
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After the February 2022 invasion sparked international condemnation of China’s close ally Russia, several foreign missions in China raised Ukrainian flags or displayed images of Ukraine on posters and lights.
“We and others have received a letter calling on embassies and representation offices not to use the facades of buildings for ‘politicized propaganda,'” said a diplomat whose embassy was displaying a Ukraine The flag image, told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The diplomat said the delegation did not intend to comply with the notification.
Three other Beijing-based diplomats confirmed receipt of the notice, adding that while the notice did not directly mention the Ukrainian flag, it was clearly aimed at it.
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Reuters did not see the notice. China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Ukrainian-flagged poster on the exterior wall of Canada’s embassy in Beijing has been painted with anti-NATO graffiti, weeks after Russia launched what it called a “special military operation” in Ukraine, according to a Reuters witness.
European Union, British, German and Polish missions in Beijing also displayed images of the Ukrainian flag.
They did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China has called for peace in Ukraine but has not condemned its ally Russia, drawing criticism from Western countries.
Some embassies in Beijing also displayed rainbow flags in support of the LGBT community on Wednesday to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and LGBT Pride Month in June.
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It was unclear whether China, which has been criticized by human rights groups in recent years for suppressing LGBT activism, objected to such displays.
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