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France summoned China’s ambassador to Paris, Lu Shaye, on Monday to explain controversial comments on French television that questioned the sovereignty of post-Soviet countries. The Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, said they would also send Chinese envoys to the three countries to discuss this matter.
China’s Foreign Ministry tried to repair the damage on Monday, insisting that it recognizes the sovereignty of all Soviet republics that have declared independence, including Ukraine.
“China respects the sovereign status of former Soviet republics after the dissolution of the Soviet Union,” ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a press conference in Beijing. Asked whether Mr. Lu’s comments on Friday reflected official policy, Ms. Mao replied: “I can tell you what I said today is the official position of the Chinese government.”
He added: “China’s stance on relevant issues has not changed,” noting that China was one of the first countries to establish relations with all “relevant countries” after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.
The rhetoric of recent Chinese diplomats – including Mr. Lu and Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the European Union – shows that Beijing is still struggling to strike a balance between its friendship with European leaders and support for Russia, which says there are “no limits” to the partnership. The war in Ukraine has put Beijing in an awkward position: It has refused to condemn the Russian invasion while also promising not to help Russia militarily in its war.
Mr Lu sparked widespread concern when he was asked on French television station TF1 whether Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, was part of Ukraine under international law. He said that Crimea is Russian history and has been handed over to Ukraine. He added: “Even these countries of the former Soviet Union do not have effective status in international law, because there is no international agreement defining their status as sovereign states.”
Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the European Union, by contrast, told The New York Times in an interview this month that China does not recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea or parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, instead recognizing Ukraine within internationally accepted borders. according to Ms. Mao’s words on Monday.
But Mr Fu also said Beijing did not condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine because it understood Russia’s claims of a defensive war against NATO aggression, and because its government believed “the root causes are more complex” than Western leaders say.
However, Mr. Lu’s comments have caused confusion and anger in Ukraine and the European Union, especially among Eastern and Central European countries under Soviet rule or occupation. The Baltic states, annexed by the Soviet Union after World War II, are particularly sensitive to suggestions that their sovereignty is in question.
At a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that the Chinese ambassador would be asked to explain that “China’s position has changed on independence and remind us that we are not a post-Soviet country, but we are a country illegally occupied by the Soviet Union.
His Estonian counterpart, Margus Tsahkna, said he wanted to know “why China has a position or a comment on the Baltic States,” which are all members of the European Union and NATO. Ms. Mao’s comments were not enough, he said. “I hope there is an explanation. We are not satisfied with the announcement.
Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, called Mr. Lu’s remarks “unacceptable,” as did Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavsky. Mr Borrell said Brussels also wanted further explanations from Beijing.
Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Jean Asselborn, called Mr Lu’s remarks a “mistake” and said efforts were being made to calm him down.
Mr. Lu has been a proponent of a tough-talking style sometimes called “wolf warrior” diplomacy. This will be the third time he has been summoned to France’s Quai d’Orsay in the past three and a half years.
Christopher Buckley contributed reporting from Taipei, Taiwan. Olivia Wang contribute to research.
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