Several EU foreign ministers have called Ambassador Le Sage’s comments – in which he questioned the sovereignty of Ukraine and other former Soviet states – unacceptable, and called on Beijing to clarify its position – and wrote Reuters news agency.
Asked whether Lu’s remarks represented China’s official position, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said that Beijing respects the sovereignty of the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Mao told a news conference that his comments on sovereignty represented the official position of the Chinese government.
The Chinese Embassy in Paris issued a statement later on Monday saying that what Lu said was “not a political statement but an expression of his personal views”.
Asked whether Crimea was part of Ukraine or not, Le said in an interview on French television on Friday that Crimea was historically part of Russia and was offered to Ukraine by former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
These former Soviet states have no real status in international law as there is no international agreement supporting their sovereign status
he added.
