Beijing’s ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, questioned the sovereignty of post-Soviet international locations in a media interview.
Ukraine has condemned what it referred to as “absurd” feedback from China’s ambassador to France, who questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet international locations.
France and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have additionally expressed dismay over the remarks.
Requested about his place on whether or not Crimea is a part of Ukraine, Chinese language Ambassador Lu Shaye stated in an interview aired on French tv on Friday that traditionally, the peninsula was a part of Russia and had been provided to Ukraine by former Soviet chief Nikita Khrushchev.
“These ex-USSR international locations don’t have precise standing in worldwide regulation as a result of there isn’t any worldwide settlement to materialise their sovereign standing,” Shaye stated.
His feedback refer not simply to Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February final yr, but additionally to all former Soviet republics, which emerged as impartial nations after the autumn of the Soviet Union in 1991, together with many members of the European Union.
Responding on Sunday, Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak stated the standing of post-Soviet international locations was “enshrined in worldwide regulation”.
“It’s unusual to listen to an absurd model of the ‘historical past of Crimea’ from a consultant of a rustic that’s scrupulous about its 1,000-year historical past,” Podolyak stated, referring to China.
France acknowledged its “full solidarity” with all of the allied international locations affected, which it stated had acquired their independence “after a long time of oppression”.
“On Ukraine particularly, it was internationally recognised inside borders together with Crimea in 1991 by all the worldwide neighborhood, together with China,” a international ministry spokesperson in Paris stated.
The spokesperson added that Beijing must make clear whether or not these feedback mirror its place.
The three Baltic states, all previously a part of the Soviet Union, reacted alongside the identical strains as France.
“Remarks by the Chinese language Ambassador in France regarding worldwide regulation and sovereignty of countries are utterly unacceptable,” Latvian International Minister Edgars Rinkevics wrote on Twitter.
“We anticipate rationalization from the Chinese language facet and full retraction of this assertion,” he stated.
Lithuanian International Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stated: “If anybody continues to be questioning why the Baltic states don’t belief China to ‘dealer peace in Ukraine’, right here’s a Chinese language ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and our international locations’ borders haven’t any authorized foundation.”
Moscow and Beijing have ramped up cooperation lately, and Washington has accused Beijing of contemplating arms exports to Moscow.
China has denied the claims and has sought to painting itself as a impartial celebration within the Ukraine battle. It has proposed a obscure political answer to the disaster.