Embassy of China in France: The words of the ambassador regarding the sovereignty of the former republics of the USSR are his personal opinion

The Chinese Embassy in France called the words of Ambassador Lu Chaye about the supposed sovereignty of the former republics of the USSR as his personal opinion. They noted that such a position does not correspond to the official position of Beijing.

This is stated in a statement on the website of the embassy.

They emphasized that the ambassadorʼs statements were not political, but personal statements during the telecast. The official position of China is unchanged.

The embassy reminded that China "respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and supports the goals and principles of the UN Charter." And after the collapse of the USSR, China was one of the first to establish diplomatic relations with post-Soviet countries.

"The Chinese side respects the status of sovereign states that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union," they noted.

As for Ukraine, Chinaʼs position also remains unchanged — it is ready to contribute to the political settlement of the conflict there.

• On April 22, the Chinese ambassador Lu Chaye said on the air of the French TV channel LCI that the post-Soviet countries allegedly "do not have a valid status, since there is no international agreement that would materialize their status as a sovereign country", which actually denied the existence of such countries as Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Kazakhstan, etc. When asked who owns Crimea, the ambassador said that the occupied peninsula was "Russian from the beginning", and in general "this is a difficult issue".
• Ambassador of Ukraine to France Vadym Omelchenko wrote on Twitter that Chaye either has problems with geography, or he ignores Beijingʼs position on the restoration of peace in Ukraine based on international law and the principles of the UN Charter. He was also criticized in Lithuania and Estonia.