Prague awaits clarification from Beijing after scandalous statements by Chinese ambassador to France

The Czech Republic is surprised and concerned by the statements of the Chinese ambassador to France regarding the sovereignty of the countries that were once part of the USSR and is awaiting a comment from official Beijing on this issue. Source: Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, reports European Pravda He noted that, by his words, the Chinese ambassador actually questioned the sovereignty of a number of states, from the Baltic States to Central Asia.

"Chinese ambassador to France exposed either shocking incompetence or very dangerous position contradicting the basics of the international law. I expect his HQ will distance itself from untenable statement," Lipavsky said.

Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye said in an interview that the countries of the former USSR "do not have an effective status in international law, as there is no international agreement that would specify their status as a sovereign country". He also said that the question of the territorial affiliation of the Russian-occupied Crimea "depends on how one perceives the problem", and that the peninsula "belonged to Russia from the beginning".

Official Paris and the EU's top diplomat then called on Beijing to explain whether these statements reflected China's official position and the Baltic States expressed outrage by summoning Chinese diplomats to the Foreign Ministry.

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Ukraine's Ambassador to France, Vadym Omelchenko, reacted sharply to the Chinese diplomat's statements.

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