China respects sovereignty, independence and integrity of all countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry assures
China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries, as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning assured at her regular press conference on Monday, saying her remarks on sovereignty represent the official position of the Chinese government, Reuters and AFP noted, cited by Agerpres.
The comments come after China's ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet republics such as Ukraine in an interview broadcast on French television on Friday. On Monday, Mao was asked whether the ambassador's position represents China's official position.
The former USSR states "have no effective status in international law because there is no international agreement that materialises their status as sovereign countries," the ambassador said, according to Reuters and AFP.
His statements caused a wave of indignation in the states concerned and were described as "unacceptable" by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, who said that "the EU can only assume that these statements do not represent China's official position".
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman insisted on Monday that "after the collapse of the Soviet Union China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with those countries" and that "after establishing diplomatic relations China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and equality for the development of bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation".
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MFAEI) reacted to statements by the Chinese ambassador to France who denied the sovereignty of former Soviet countries. The remarks of the Chinese ambassador to France are "absolutely unacceptable" and the Moldovan authorities are waiting for clarification of the position "from the Chinese authorities", said the communication adviser to the foreign minister, Igor Zaharov.
