China stated on Monday (April 24) that it respects the ‘sovereign state status’ of all ex-Soviet countries, following criticism from Ukraine over remarks made by China’s ambassador to France about the sovereignty of former Soviet nations. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning assured reporters that Beijing ‘respects the sovereign state status of the participating republics after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.’
China’s ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, faced backlash for suggesting that countries that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union ‘don’t have effective status under international law because there is not an international agreement confirming their status as sovereign nations.’ These comments were made during an interview that aired on French television on Friday. France, along with the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, have condemned the ambassador’s statements.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, described the remarks as ‘unacceptable’ and questioned whether they represented China’s official policy. In response, Mao reiterated that China ‘respects the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all countries’ and has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and equality in developing bilateral friendly and cooperative relations.
Lithuania’s foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, criticized Lu’s comments on Twitter, suggesting that they undermined trust in China’s ability to ‘broker peace in Ukraine.’ Landsbergis also noted that the ambassador’s remarks indicated that ‘Crimea is Russian and our countries’ borders have no legal basis.’
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