China says respects ex-Soviet states' sovereignty after envoy sparks outrage

China insisted it respects the sovereignty of all ex-Soviet countries on April 24, after comments by its Ambassador to France drew ire in Europe and threw into question Beijing’s efforts to position itself as a neutral mediator of the Ukraine war.

China insisted it respects the sovereignty of all ex-Soviet countries on April 24, after comments by its Ambassador to France drew ire in Europe and threw into question Beijing's efforts to position itself as a neutral mediator of the Ukraine war.

Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, the European Union's three Baltic countries, summoned China's envoys on April 24 to account for Ambassador Lu Shaye questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states.

In comments to French broadcaster LCI on April 21, Mr. Lu said countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union "don't have effective status under international law because there is not an international agreement confirming their status as sovereign nations".

The Ambassador appeared to be referring not just to Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022, but also to all former Soviet republics which emerged as independent nations after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Beijing on April 24 distanced itself from Mr. Lu's remarks — while also defending its claimed neutral stance on Russia's war in Ukraine.

President Xi Jinping has sought to act as peacemaker in the conflict as he seeks a greater role for China on the global stage — even as Western leaders have accused Beijing of providing diplomatic cover to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters on April 24.