After criticism of the ambassador: China emphasizes Ukraine’s sovereignty

The Chinese ambassador in France had caused international outrage: ex-Soviet republics are not necessarily sovereign, he said. China’s foreign ministry has now indirectly backtracked.

The Chinese government has asserted that it fully recognizes the sovereignty of former Soviet republics. At a press conference, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning indirectly distanced herself from the statements made by Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye in Paris.

“China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the former Soviet republics. China respects the sovereign status of these countries after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.” China also respects Ukraine’s sovereignty, she reiterated.

The foreign ministry spokeswoman blamed some of the media – and not the Chinese ambassador in France – for the controversy. These would have twisted China’s position on Ukraine and thereby instigated disputes.

De facto deportation demanded

In Europe and especially in the Baltic States, the statements made by the Chinese ambassador to France had caused outrage. The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Michael Roth, had sharply criticized the ambassador’s statements. They are an “absolute transgression of borders” and a “questioning of international law”.

Roth joined a demand from the Baltic states. The Chinese ambassador in France should therefore be declared “persona non grata”, i.e. de facto expelled. More than 80 MEPs from EU countries joined the call.

In a television interview on Friday, China’s ambassador in Paris, Shaye, questioned the independence and sovereignty of the former Soviet republics, including Ukraine, the Baltic and Central Asian states.