China affirms ex-Soviet nations' sovereignty after uproar
Earlier DU thread: Paris, Kyiv, Baltic states dismayed after China envoy questions Ukraine sovereignty
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Source: Associated Press
China affirms ex-Soviet nations’ sovereignty after uproar
April 24, 2023
BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government said Monday it respects the sovereignty of former Soviet Union republics after Beijing’s ambassador to France caused an uproar in Europe by saying they aren’t sovereign nations.
The governments of former Soviet respublics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were among those who rejected Ambassador Lu Shaye’s comment to a French broadcaster. While answering a question about the status of Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, Lu said that there was no agreement to “solidify their status as a sovereign country.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that “China respects the sovereign status of the former Soviet countries after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.” Mao said Beijing’s position is “consistent and clear” but gave no indication whether Lu’s comment was considered incorrect.
The ambassador drew a parallel between Ukraine and the other former Soviet republics that declared independence from Moscow when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/china-baltics-sovereignty-crimea-russia-98f05ace20d65d5f51b34c6652a81b00
