Key Points
China respects the status of former Soviet member states as sovereign nations, its foreign ministry said on Monday, distancing itself from comments by its envoy to Paris that triggered an uproar among European capitals...
Several European Union foreign ministers had said comments by ambassador Lu Shaye - in which he questioned the sovereignty of Ukraine and other former Soviet states - were unacceptable and had asked Beijing to clarify its stance...
Asked if Lu's comments represented China's official position, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing respected the status of the former Soviet member states as sovereign nations following the collapse of the Soviet Union...
EU leaders would discuss the bloc's stance towards China and its future relations with Beijing during their next summit in June, EU Council President Charles Michel said.. Lu has been summoned to France's foreign ministry several times in the past, including for suggesting France was abandoning old people in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and for calling a respected China scholar at a French think-tank a "mad hyena"...
Asked about Chinese officials' comments, White House spokesperson John Kirby told MSNBC broadcaster that China and Russia are clearly aligning, adding: "These are two countries that want to challenge outright the international rules-based order ... that respects sovereignty around the world."..
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