The Baltic states, as well as France, have expressed dismay after the Chinese ambassador in Paris questioned the sovereignty not only of Ukraine, but all the former Soviet republics.
Ambassador Lu Shaye made the remarks in a TV interview late on Friday. He was asked whether he considered the peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, to be part of Ukraine under international law.
“Even these ex-Soviet Union countries do not have effective status, as we say, under international law because there’s no international accord to concretise their status as a sovereign country,” Lu said.
Asked if Crimea was part of Ukraine, he said it was a complicated question and it depended on one’s position.
“There is a history here where Crimea was originally part of Russia. It was [Soviet leader Nikita] Khrushchev who offered Crimea to Ukraine during the period of the Soviet Union,” the Chinese ambassador said.
🗣 @DariusRochebin : "Est-ce que la Crimée, à vos yeux, c'est l'Ukraine ?"
— LCI (@LCI) April 21, 2023
🗣 Lu Shaye : "Ça dépend comment on perçoit le problème [...] Ce n'est pas si simple."
📺 #La26 pic.twitter.com/nspLMs9HO8
In a statement on Sunday, France expressed its “full solidarity” with all the allied countries, which it said had acquired their independence “after decades of oppression”, according to Reuters.
“On Ukraine specifically, it was internationally recognized within borders including Crimea in 1991 by the entire international community, including China,” a foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The foreign ministry spokesperson also called on China to clarify whether the ambassador’s statement reflects its position or not.
Over the weekend, the foreign ministries of all three Baltic countries announced that they would summon the Chinese chargés d'affaires for clarification.
On Saturday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis tweeted: “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.”
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. pic.twitter.com/JaloJnSEx3
— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) April 22, 2023
His Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkēvičs stressed that “remarks by the Chinese Ambassador in France concerning international law and sovereignty of nations are completely unacceptable”.
“We expect explanation from the Chinese side and complete retraction of this statement,” he added in a tween.
Estonian diplomatic chief Margus Tsahkna also condemned the Chinese diplomat’s comments.
“The comments by the Chinese representative on independent & sovereign states are false & a misinterpretation of history,” he tweeted.
He added that doubting Estonia’s sovereignty was unacceptable.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also said the Chinese ambassador’s remarks “unacceptable” and that he hoped they did not reflect Beijing’s official stance.
Borrell tweeted: “Unacceptable remarks of the Chinese ambassador to France. The EU can only suppose these declarations do not represent China’s official policy.”
Unacceptable remarks of the Chinese Ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of the countries which became independent with the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 23, 2023
The EU can only suppose these declarations do not represent China’s official policy.
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