Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning confirmed that Beijing’s position on the Crimean issue has not changed and that Beijing respects the sovereignty of all countries, including those from the former Soviet Union.
This happened in the context of the press secretary’s response to a request from the TASS agency to comment on the statement of Chinese Ambassador to France Liu Chai about the dependence of the Crimean Peninsula.
“China’s position on this issue has not changed. Regarding territorial sovereignty, China’s position has always been clear. China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and upholds the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,” Mao Ning said. press briefing on Monday.
She stressed that China respects the sovereignty of all the republics that were part of the former Soviet Union and said, “After the collapse of the Soviet Union, China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with these countries.”
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and equal treatment, and developed bilateral friendship and cooperation. China respects the sovereign status of the republics formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union,” she said.
The Chinese ambassador to France sparked outrage in Eastern Europe and Ukraine after he questioned the sovereignty of countries originating from the Soviet Union, pointing out in a TV interview a few days ago that these countries “have no de facto status in international law because there is no an international agreement that secures their status as sovereign states”.
Asked if Crimea is part of Ukraine, Liu said: “It depends on how we look at this issue. There is a story. Crimea originally belonged to Russia. Khrushchev gave Crimea to Ukraine during the Soviet era. ” “.
The French Foreign Ministry said it was “shocked” by the Chinese ambassador’s remarks, urging Beijing to “clarify whether they reflect its position.”
For his part, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell criticized the Chinese ambassador’s remarks, saying, “The European Union can only assume that these statements do not reflect China’s official position,” adding that they are “unacceptable.”
Source: agencies
