Beijing is in damage control with European leaders following a diplomat’s decision to question the sovereignty of former Soviet republics, including Ukraine.
A spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, said China “respects the sovereign status of former Soviet republics after the Soviet Union’s dissolution” on Monday.
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Days before Mao’s remarks, Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to Paris, was asked late last week about whether Crimea was a part of Ukraine under international law and said, “Even these countries of the former Soviet Union do not have an effective status in international law, since there is no international agreement that would specify their status as sovereign countries.”
Mao, when asked if Lu’s comments represented official policy, responded, “I can tell you what I stated just now represents the official position of the Chinese government.”
“The Soviet Union was a federal state and as a whole was one subject of international law in international relations. This does not negate the republics’ status as sovereign countries after the Soviet Union’s dissolution,” she added. “On the Ukraine issue, China’s position is objective, just, and clear. We will continue to work with the international community to make our own contribution to facilitating a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”
The Chinese Embassy in France also clarified the ambassador’s remarks in a statement, explaining that Lu was not making a “political declaration, but an expression of his personal view during a televised debate.”
France summoned Lu to the Quai d’Orsay, the Foreign Ministry, to explain his comments on Monday, while Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania said they would do the same, according to the New York Times.
Beijing has repeatedly attempted to position itself as a neutral arbiter in Russia’s war in Ukraine. However, it has not condemned the war and has often pushed Russia’s account of the war. Beijing has continued to assist Russia in evading Western sanctions as well.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned in February that the U.S. had intelligence suggesting China was considering providing arms and ammunition to Russia and said that such involvement in the war would be a “serious problem.”
U.S. officials have maintained that they haven’t seen this come to fruition yet, though one of the classified U.S. military documents allegedly released by Massachusetts Jack Teixeira, 21, supposedly revealed that China’s Central Military Commission had “approved the incremental provision” of weapons to Russia, according to the Washington Post.
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This alleged agreement demonstrates the growing Moscow-Beijing relationship and the threat it poses to U.S. interests.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping was in Moscow last month, where he and Putin reiterated their economic support and allied stance against the West, but the Chinese leader left without publicly committing to providing Russia with the weapons and ammunition it needs to refill its depleted stockpiles.
