China moved quickly on Monday to limit damage to its relations with Europe, repudiating the comments of Beijing’s ambassador in Paris who had questioned the sovereignty of post-Soviet nations like Ukraine in a televised interview, reports The New York Times.
The comments by Lu Shaye on Friday caused a diplomatic firestorm over the weekend among European foreign ministers and parliamentarians, with several countries summoning China’s envoys for explanations. His remarks threatened to throw a wrench in China’s ongoing efforts to balance courting European leaders with trade while supporting Russia, with which it has declared a “no limits” partnership.
The war in Ukraine has put Beijing in an awkward position: It has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion while also promising not to help Russia militarily in its war. China’s Foreign Ministry tried to stem the fallout of Mr. Lu’s remarks on Monday, insisting that it recognized the sovereignty of all the former Soviet republics that have declared independence, including Ukraine.
“China respects the sovereign status of former Soviet republics after the Soviet Union’s dissolution,” said the ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, speaking at a news briefing in Beijing.
Asked if Mr. Lu’s comments on Friday represented official policy, Ms. Mao responded: “I can tell you what I stated just now represents the official position of the Chinese government.”
Mr. Lu was responding to a question from the French television station, TF1, about whether Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, was part of Ukraine under international law. He said that Crimea was Russian historically and had been handed over to Ukraine, then added: “Even these countries of the former Soviet Union do not have an effective status in international law, since there is no international agreement that would specify their status as sovereign countries.”