China on Monday walked back comments from its ambassadors in France, who said that former Soviet states aren’t real countries, a position that played into Putin’s hands.
The comments led to a European backlash, with many seemingly worried that they signaled closer Beijing support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Lu Shaye, China’s ambassador to France, said in an interview broadcast on Friday that the countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union don’t have status under international law “because there is no international agreement to solidify their status as a sovereign country,” according to the AP.
Lu was talking in the context of Crimea, the region that Russia unilaterally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
But on Monday, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said that “China respects the sovereign state status of the participating republics after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.”
The comments seemed repudiate Lu’s earlier remarks, which were met with anger especially by former Soviet states and are now sovereign, independent countries. Some are members of the EU and NATO.
Lu’s comments were condemned by the Baltic countries, as well as by Ukraine and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
France’s foreign ministry said these countries gained independence “after decades of oppression.”
Baltic nations Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have been strong allies of Ukraine especially since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Moldova which has a pro-Western government has accused Russia of trying to destabilize it, something Moscow denies.
We are surprised about Chinese Amb statements questioning sovereignty of countries declaring independence in ’91. Mutual respect & territ integrity have been key to ??-?? ties.
Our expectations are that these declarations do not represent China’s official policy. @MFA_China
— ?? MFA Moldova (@MoldovaMFA) April 24, 2023
Moldova’s foreign ministry expressed surprise about Lu’s initial statement, saying that mutual respect and territorial integrity have been key to ties between China and Moldova.
Russia has retained closer ties to Central Asian countries.
