After the controversial statements of Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to France, Beijing distances itself, Monday, April 24, from the remarks of its representative. “China respects the sovereign state status of the republics” born after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.
“China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and supports the purposes and principles of the UN Charter,” Mao said. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the countries concerned. “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,” the spokesperson added. Some media have misinterpreted China’s position on the Ukraine issue and are sowing discord in relations between China and relevant countries. (…) we will be vigilant about this”.
Mr. Lu, questioned on the LCI news channel about the Ukrainian province of Crimea, annexed since 2014 by Moscow, had denied the sovereignty of the former Soviet republics on Friday evening. The countries of the former USSR “do not have the status of sovereign countries in international law because there is no international agreement to concretize their status”, he said.
Summons to the Quai d’Orsay
He was summoned Monday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he was to be received by Luis Vassy, the director of the cabinet of Catherine Colonna, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Quai d’Orsay said on Sunday it was “dismayed” by these remarks, which also caused the countries concerned to react. In a statement on Saturday, Paris said it “learned with dismay” of the remarks, asking China “to say [whether they] reflect its position, which we hope they do not.” Ukraine was internationally recognized “within borders including Crimea in 1991 by the entire international community, including China, upon the fall of the USSR as a new member state of the United Nations”, insisted Paris, recalling that Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 is “illegal under international law”.
On Monday, the Chinese Embassy issued a tweet, reminding that “China’s position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear” and referring to a link that details “China’s position on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis”: the twelve-point peace plan, presented on February 24.
Response from the Baltic States
“EU-China relations will be on the agenda of our June European Council,” tweeted Charles Michel, President of the European Council, adding that “[EU] foreign ministers will prepare this discussion under the leadership of High Representative Josep Borrell. The head of European diplomacy described the ambassador’s remarks as “unacceptable”, adding that “the EU can only assume that these statements do not represent China’s official position”.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have announced that they will summon Chinese ambassadors to their respective capitals on Monday. On Saturday, the three countries had already reacted to Mr. Lu’s remarks. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna tweeted that Lu Shaye’s statements were “false” and constituted “historical nonsense”, recalling that “countries Baltic states have been sovereign under international law since 1918 but have been occupied for fifty years.” Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics deplored the “completely unacceptable” remarks, calling on China to withdraw them. “If anyone was still wondering why the Baltic countries don’t trust China to ‘broker peace in Ukraine’, here is a Chinese ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and the borders of our countries have no legal status,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis tweeted.
Moldova also expressed its surprise. “We are surprised at statements by the Chinese Embassy questioning the sovereignty of countries declaring independence in 1991. Mutual respect and territorial integrity have been key to Moldova’s ties with China,” the ministry tweeted. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova, adding: “We hope that these statements do not represent the official view of China. »
“This is totally unacceptable,” commented Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky on Monday before a meeting scheduled for the day in Luxembourg with his European counterparts.
kyiv on Sunday denounced the vision of history proposed by Lu Shaye. “It is strange to hear an absurd version of the ‘Crimean history’ from a representative of a country scrupulous about its millennial history,” tweeted Mykhaïlo Podoliak, adviser to the presidency. Ukrainian. On Sunday, Podoliak stressed that “all countries of the former USSR have clear sovereign status enshrined in international law,” calling on Lu to “not repeat Russian propaganda.”