Luxembourg has found itself inadvertently drawn into a growing diplomatic row between the United States and China following remarks made by Stacey Feinberg, US President Donald Trump's nominee for Ambassador to Luxembourg.
US Senate hearing
Businesswoman Stacey Feinberg spoke at length about her ambitions for strengthening US-Luxembourg relations during a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee nominations hearing in mid-June 2025. She described her nomination (announced in December 2024) as "the greatest honour" of her life and pledged to "champion America's interests in Luxembourg". She outlined key priorities including expanding cooperation in areas such as space, satellites, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI).
"Our partnership with Luxembourg is built on our shared values of freedom, security and the power of free markets," she stated. "We have so much in common and I hope to work shoulder-to-shoulder helping both countries maximise their opportunities".
However, she also criticised Luxembourg's ties with China, urging the Grand Duchy to "do more to scrutinise and constrain China's interests within Europe" and expressing concern over Chinese "infiltration" of the country's education system. She noted that, should she be confirmed as ambassador, she would "encourage the Luxembourg government to reexamine their relationship with China". She also expressed confidence that Luxembourg, as a founding member, would fulfil its NATO obligations.
In response to questions from Senator Steve Daines about the Luxembourg-China relationship, Stacey Feinberg said: "China is a bad actor. Their intentions are nefarious. Lucifer does not show up looking like the devil. It is difficult to be able to often tell friend from foe". She accused China of "extraordinary" levels of "corporate espionage" and "deception" in Europe, arguing that many European countries, notably Luxembourg, were "not educated" like those in the US on China's actions; she claimed the Chinese "don't come in the front door; they come in the crawl spaces".
Ms Feinberg also criticised organisations such as the Confucius Institute and the Chinese Students' Association in Luxembourg, which she accused of "propaganda" and espionage. She went on to describe the "proliferation of Chinese banks" in the Grand Duchy as "overwhelming". She said she hoped to "humbly [...] educate" Luxembourg on these issues.
Nevertheless, she praised Luxembourg for filing a case against Spacety, a Chinese satellite company accused of sharing sensitive information with Russia. She pledged US support in helping Luxembourg "uncouple from China", arguing that the US is "the best partner for Luxembourg for artificial intelligence, for cybersecurity, for space, for all things going forward".
Chinese Embassy response
On Tuesday 1 July 2025, the Chinese Embassy in Luxembourg issued a press release condemning Stacey Feinberg's "irresponsible" remarks. The embassy accused the ambassador nominee of "demonis[ing]" China and said her comments were "imbued with ideological bias and zero-sum logic". The statement added that the remarks "flout the fundamental norms of diplomatic relations. We categorically reject them".
Highlighting 53 years of diplomatic relations between China and Luxembourg, the embassy defended their bilateral relationship as one "based on equality, respect and trust", which has helped achieve "fruitful results in cooperation in various fields, benefiting the people of both countries". It warned that any attempts at "slander or defamation" would "backfire".
The statement concluded: "Whether interference in the development of relations between sovereign states is 'humble education' or 'blatant coercion', the truth will come to light, and it is up to everyone to judge. The 'distorted view of China' held by the American [woman] in question must be clarified and corrected to the fullest extent. Instigating the 'China threat theory' to pressure other countries to take sides will neither enhance [America's] own greatness nor hinder the development of Sino-Luxembourg relations".
