Foreign ministry says China respects status of countries such as Ukraine after ambassador’s comments prompt condemnation
China has distanced itself from comments by its ambassador to France that independent states that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, which include Ukraine and Nato members Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, lacked “actual status in international law” after an international outcry.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing “respects the status of the member states as sovereign states after the collapse of the Soviet Union” when asked at a regular news conference if it stood by ambassador Lu Shaye’s remarks.
