(Beijing) China confirmed Monday that it respects the “sovereign state status” of the countries of the former Soviet Union, after the controversial remarks of its ambassador to France.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters that “China respects the status of a sovereign country for the republics” that were born after the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991.
She stressed that “China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and upholds the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.”
The Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shay, was questioned via the LCI news channel about the Ukrainian province of Crimea, which Moscow has annexed since 2014, and he had denied on Friday evening the sovereignty of the former Soviet republics.
He said Friday evening that the countries of the former Soviet Union “have no effective place in international law because there is no international agreement to embody their status as sovereign states.”
Call the Baltics
These statements sparked a protest in the countries concerned, starting with the Baltic states and members of the European Union and NATO, who will “summon” Chinese ambassadors to their capitals on Monday to “ask for clarification”.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, also called it “unacceptable”, as “the European Union can only assume that these statements do not represent China’s official position.”
Indeed, on Monday Beijing distanced itself from the words of its ambassador, who is part of the “wolffighters,” this new clan of Chinese diplomats who do not mince words in the face of a West that is seen as systemically hostile to Beijing.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the countries concerned.I Mao.
“Dispute” over the Ukrainian question
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and equality to develop bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation,” said the spokesman.
She stressed that “some media have misinterpreted China’s position on the Ukrainian issue and lead to creating discord in the relations between China and the countries concerned,” and added, “We will be vigilant about this matter.”
Regarding Crimea, which Moscow has occupied since 2014, Mr. Le Shay said that “Crimea was at the beginning for Russia. It was Khrushchev who offered Crimea to Ukraine during the time of the Soviet Union.”
Mikhailo Podolak, an adviser to Ukraine’s presidency, responded on Twitter beforehand sarcastically: “If you want to be a major political player, don’t repeat like a propaganda parrot of the Russians.”
“The three Baltic states will invite their Chinese envoys to meet on Monday to ask for clarification, to see if China’s position has changed on independence and to remind them that we are not post-Soviet states, but illegally occupied states by the Soviet Union,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. On the sidelines of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers on Monday.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgar Renkivics also denounced the “totally unacceptable” remarks.
His Estonian counterpart, Margos Tsakna, called it “false”, stemming from a “misinterpretation of history”. He continued, “According to international law, the Baltic states have been sovereign since 1918, but they have been occupied for 50 years” by the Soviet Union.
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