China caves in after outrage, says it respects ex-Soviet states as sovereign nations

Amid furore caused by an envoy's remarks, China conceded on Monday (April 24) that it respected the "sovereign state status" of all ex-Soviet countries. The remarks from the Chinese foreign ministry came after Ukraine slammed the "absurd" remarks by China’s ambassador to France on ex-Soviet nations, who basically questioned their sovereignty. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters that Beijing "respects the sovereign state status of the participating republics after the dissolution of the Soviet Union."

The remarks over sovereignty were made by Lu Shaye as he suggested that the countries that emerged after the fall 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."

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His remarks came during an interview which aired on French television on Friday. The comments sparked a wave of outrage across Europe as France and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also condemned the official.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the remarks were "unacceptable". Borrell further added in a tweet that the EU "can only suppose these declarations do not represent China's official policy."

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In a response to the controversy, Mao told journalists: "China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with relevant countries."

"Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and equality to develop bilateral, friendly and cooperative relations," the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman further added.

"The Chinese side respects the status of the member states as sovereign states after the dissolution of the Soviet Union."

While responding to a reporter, Mao said, "The country you mentioned (Ukraine) is a full member of the United Nations, and only sovereign states can become full members of the United Nations."

She stated that this is international "common sense" and in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the five principles of peaceful coexistence, China has established and developed sound state-to-state relations with Ukraine. She noted that any attempt to "sow dissension, interfere or undermine China's relations with relevant countries will have ulterior motives and will not succeed".

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Reactions to Lu's comments

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote on Twitter that "if anyone is still wondering why the Baltic States don't trust China to 'broker peace in Ukraine', here's a Chinese ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and our countries' borders have no legal basis."

(With inputs from agencies)

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