Several European countries expressed discontent after China’s ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, said that there is no agreement to recognise the sovereignty of former Soviet countries like Ukraine.
China’s Comment
During an interview on Friday that aired on French television, Lu was asked about his position on whether Crimea is part of Ukraine or not. Lu first noted that, historically, Crimea was part of Russia and had been offered to Ukraine by former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
“These ex-USSR countries don’t have actual status in international law because there is no international agreement to materialise their sovereign status,” Lu stated.
European Response
France dismissed the ambassador’s statement on Sunday and pledged its “full solidarity” with all the allied countries affected. The country also said that the erstwhile Soviet countries had acquired their independence “after decades of oppression.”
“On Ukraine specifically, it was internationally recognised within borders including Crimea in 1991 by the entire international community, including China,” a spokesperson of France’s foreign ministry said.
Paris also called on Beijing to clarify whether these comments reflect its official position.
The three Baltic countries — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — as well as Ukraine, all reacted similarly.
On Saturday, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics called on China to explain the “completely unacceptable” statement and retract the position. He also pledged to raise the issue during an EU foreign ministers meeting on Monday, which is expected to include a discussion on relations with China.
All post-Soviet Union countries have a clear sovereign status enshrined in international law. Except for Russia, which fraudulently took a seat in the UN Security Council. It is strange to hear an absurd version of the "history of Crimea" from a representative of a country that…
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) April 23, 2023
Ukraine’s Response
“It is strange to hear an absurd version of the ‘history of Crimea’ from a representative of a country that is scrupulous about its thousand-year history,” Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior Ukrainian presidential aide, tweeted.
“If you want to be a major political player, do not parrot the propaganda of Russian outsiders,” he said.
In a veiled reference to China’s peace plan for the Ukraine war, Podolyak added that a true “peacemaker” does not “encourage the aggressor to continue expansion, does not turn a blind eye to mass murders, does not exchange foreign territory for a pause between stages of the war, does not give Russia the opportunity to “save face,” does not insult the memory of the victims of aggression.”
China’s foreign ministry has yet to comment on the matter.