Chinese ambassador’s assertion that former Soviet states don’t exist angers the European Union

Following statements made by Beijing’s top diplomat in Paris challenging the sovereignty of former Soviet republics, which could jeopardise China’s efforts to be perceived as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine, European nations are pressing Beijing for an explanation.

The comments made by the Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, who said in a television interview that the former Soviet Union has no “effective status in international law,” have raised concerns among diplomats, particularly in the Baltic states.

Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis of Lithuania announced on Monday that his country along with Latvia and Estonia would call officials from China to request clarification.

Officials from the European Union, France, Ukraine, Moldova, and other nations all responded to Lu’s remarks with their own objections.

In response to a query about whether Crimea, which Russia illegitimately acquired in 2014, was a part of Ukraine, Lu made the comments.

Lu said that the issue of Crimea “depends on how the problem is perceived” as the region was “at the beginning Russian” and then “offered to Ukraine during the Soviet era.” After noting that the region was “at the beginning Russian” and then “offered to Ukraine during the Soviet era,” Lu continued, “Even these ex-Soviet countries don’t have an effective status in international law because there was no international agreement to materialise their status as sovereign countries.”

The comments, which came as Russia brutally invaded Ukraine in line with leader Vladimir Putin’s belief that the country should be a part of Russia, appeared to deny the sovereignty of nations that gained independence and became members of the UN following the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991.

China has so far refrained from denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or demanding that its troops be withdrawn in favour of pleading with “all parties” to exercise patience and accusing NATO of escalating the situation. It has also kept up the strengthening of its diplomatic and commercial ties with Moscow.

Responding on Sunday, Josep Borrell, the head of the EU’s foreign affairs, called the comments “unacceptable.”

Borrell sent a comment on Twitter that read, “The EU can only assume these declarations do not represent China’s official policy.”

Reuters reports that France also retaliated on Sunday, expressing its “full solidarity” with all the impacted allies and requesting clarification from China on whether these remarks accurately reflect its viewpoint.

Following the interview, which broadcast on the French station LCI on Friday, a number of former Soviet leaders—among them Ukraine—quickly retaliated.

Edgars Rinkevics, the foreign minister for Latvia, demanded a “explanation from the Chinese side and complete retraction of this statement” in a tweet he posted on Saturday.

He promised to bring up the subject at a Monday meeting of EU foreign ministers when it is anticipated that China-related issues will be raised.

Moldova, a little nation on the southwest border of Ukraine that has been affected by Russia’s invasion, expressed surprise at Lu’s remarks.

We are taken aback by the Chinese ambassador’s comments challenging the legitimacy of independent nations’ 1991 declarations of sovereignty. Relations between Moldova and China have revolved on mutual respect and territorial integrity, the ministry declared on its official Twitter account.

Our expectation is that these statements do not reflect official Chinese policy.

The assistant to Ukraine’s presidential administration, Mykhailo Podolyak, also commented on Twitter, writing, “It is unusual to hear a ludicrous account of the ‘history of Crimea’ from a representative of a country that is fastidious about its thousand-year past.

Do not repeat Russian outsiders’ propaganda if you wish to be a prominent political actor.

At a routine press conference on Monday, a representative from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to questions regarding Lu’s comments by stating that China respects the “sovereign state status” of former Soviet Union nations.

China was one of the first nations to forge diplomatic connections with the countries in question after the Soviet Union fell apart. Without explicitly responding to inquiries about Lu’s opinions, spokesperson Mao Ning stated that China has always upheld the concepts of equality and reciprocal request in the establishment of friendly and cooperative bilateral ties.

Europe-China relations

It’s not the first time that Lu, a well-known representative of China’s allegedly aggressive “wolf-warrior” diplomats, has drawn criticism for his opinions.

He’s a well-known agitator, according to Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University.

He added, “But he’s a diplomat and he speaks for his government, so it reflects some thinking about the issue in China.” But he also said that this is “not the time for China to put at risk its relationship” with France.

The remarks put Beijing in the public eye at a crucial time for its European diplomacy.

As Europe uncomfortably observed China’s growing ties to Russia and its failure to denounce Putin’s incursion, relations deteriorated.

Beijing has made efforts in recent months to improve its image, emphasising its declared neutrality in the crisis and desire to play a “constructive role” in communication and negotiation. This has sparked discussion in European capitals about how to balance its relationship with China, a significant economic partner.

This month’s visit to Beijing by French President Emmanuel Macron, who used the occasion to sign a number of cooperation agreements with Beijing and frame it as an opportunity to start working with Beijing to advance peace in Ukraine, stoked the debate about that topic.

Those who have criticised this strategy in Europe have come from former Soviet states, where many people recall living under Communist authoritarianism.

“If anyone is still wondering why the Baltic States don’t trust China to ‘broker peace in Ukraine,’ here’s a Chinese ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and our countries’ borders have no legal basis,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Landsbergis posted on Twitter following Lu’s interview on Saturday.

In the United States, Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Centre fellow and research scholar Moritz Rudolf claimed that China has been “increasingly successful in being perceived as a responsible power that might play a beneficial role in a peace process in Ukraine.”

If the Foreign Ministry does not distance the (People’s Republic of China) from the statements made by Ambassador Lu, it will be interesting to see whether Beijing’s leadership is aware of how destructive those remarks may be to its aspirations in Europe, he added.

Lu’s remarks, he continued, are contradicted by China’s “official position and practise,” in part because China has not acknowledged Russia’s sovereignty over the Crimea or any other area it has annexed since 2014.

Others proposed The comments Lu made might also reveal Beijing’s true diplomatic priorities.

Most people agree that any prospective peace agreement on Ukraine cannot include Russia ceding control of Crimea. Yun Sun, head of the China Programme at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Centre, believes that this indicates Beijing may find it difficult to provide a straightforward response to this question.

“China cannot provide a response to the query. She added that although Lu could have provided a “better answer,” China’s relationship with Russia is where its influence originates.