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China has distanced itself from ambassador’s remarks on Ukrainian sovereignty

By David Laycock • Published: 24 Apr 2023 • 20:12

China has distanced itself from ambassador's remarks on Ukrainian sovereignty

Image of Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye. Credit: Wikipedia - Par Thinkerview, CC BY 3.0

China has said that it respects the independence of all ex-Soviet states after its Ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, appeared to question Ukraine’s sovereignty.

China hasn’t as yet condemned their Russian allies’ invasion of Ukraine but, through their foreign ministry they have today, April 24, rebuffed the words of their envoy, stating that they respect Ukrainian sovereignty.

Causing outrage last week at this time of international crisis, Lu’s comments were contradicted by officials in Beijing. Spotlight On China showed the original incident on Twitter saying:

“Backlashes as Chinese envoy denies ex-Soviet States’ sovereignty Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye 卢沙野, infamous for his wolf warrior diplomacy, is stoking criticisms again for his recent remarks on Soviet states.”

China, who see themselves as having a role in bringing about peace in Ukraine, were keen to distance themselves from Shaye’s comments, as Beijing received furious calls to clarify its position.

But China now has greater trading ties with Russia than ever, softening the impact of Western sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s warring nation, leading Western governments to question whether China is really in a position to broker peace.

Certainly, Mr Lu, who is known for his controversial comments and aggressive politics, hasn’t helped the situation. His words somewhat reflected those of Vladimir Putin, who before the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, described the country as having no real statehood.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were particularly irked by the comments of Mr Lu, with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, as quoted by the French news agency AFP, saying “we’re not post-Soviet countries but we’re the countries that were illegally occupied by the Soviet Union”.

Global Times recounted China’s reaction to Mr Lu’s comments: “In response to remarks of Chinese envoy to France Lu Shaye on Crimea, the Chinese FM said that China’s position is consistent and clear. China respects the sovereign independence & territorial integrity of all countries & upholds the purposes & principles of the UN Charter.”

As the war continues to cause tension around the world, inflammatory comments like those of the Chinese envoy to France do not pave the way towards a resolution. For now though, the Chinese government has come out against the comments of their representative.

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Written by

David Laycock

Dave Laycock has always written. Poems, songs, essays, academic papers as well as newspaper articles; the written word has always held a great fascination for him and he is never happier than when being creative. From a musical background, Dave has travelled the world performing and also examining for a British music exam board. He also writes, produces and performs and records music. All this aside, he is currently fully focussed on his journalism and can’t wait to share more stories from around the world and beyond.

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