"I express full solidarity with the countries that have been attacked in the re-reading of their history and with our European allies. We know history and we abide by internationally recognized borders and I am careful not to weaken this position. I don't think it belongs to the position of a diplomat use that kind of language."
French President Emmanuel Macron said this on the sidelines of the summit of the North Sea countries in Ostend, focusing on the words used by the Chinese ambassador to France on the independence of the former Soviet republics.
Tajani, China respects the positions of the EU and its states
"China is an interlocutor but it must respect our position, it must respect the European Union and every single member state. China at the moment is a key country, we need it push Russia to leave Ukraine. But I disagree with the Chinese ambassador in Paris."
This was stated by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani arriving at the foreign affairs council in Luxembourg.
Dombrovskis, unacceptable declarations by the Chinese ambassador
The declarations of the Chinese ambassador in Paris Lu Shaye who on Friday questioned the sovereignty of the former Soviet countries, including Ukraine, "are unacceptable. In today's meeting with the Chinese trade minister Wang Wentao will raise the issue for clarification."
This was stated by the vice president of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis at an event organized by Bruegel in Brussels.
Borrell, clarification is needed on Chinese ambassador's words
"The foreign affairs council will start talking about China, to recalibrate our position, probably in view of the European Council in June. How do we proceed with the recalibration? We must continue discussing because it is one of the most important foreign policy issues".
This was stated by the high representative of EU foreign policy Josep Borrell arriving at the foreign affairs council, specifying that "there will be a strong position to ask for a clarification of the words of the Chinese ambassador".
Prague, 'Chinese ambassador to Ukraine unacceptable, clarify'
"It is totally unacceptable, we denounce these words, it is a surprising statement by every state that they should understand how international relations are conducted, we expect the case to be clarified".
This was stated by Jan Lipavskì, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, arriving at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, speaking about the claims of the Chinese ambassador in Paris, Lu Shaye, according to which Ukraine's sovereignty is not fully defined in as a country of the former Soviet Union.
China, 'we respect the sovereignty of the former Soviet countries'
China respects "the state of sovereignty of the former Soviet republics".
This is what the spokesman for the Beijing Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, said.
The clarification came after the storm raised by the Chinese ambassador in Paris Lu Shaye who questioned the sovereignty of the former Soviet countries, including Ukraine, in an interview on French TV on Friday.
China respects the "sovereign state status" of all the countries of the former Soviet republics after the dissolution of the USSR," Mao said during the daily briefing. "China respects the sovereignty, independence and integrity territory of all countries and supports the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations", added the spokeswoman, according to which "after the collapse of the Soviet Union,
China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the countries concerned.
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and equality to develop bilateral friendly and cooperative relations." Beijing's Ambassador to France Lu Shaye was caught in the storm after saying in a Friday 'interview that the countries born from the dissolution of the USSR "do not have an effective status under international law because there is no international agreement that confirms their status as sovereign nations".
Chinese Embassy in France, 'only personal judgments from Lu'
The judgments of the Chinese ambassador in France, Lu Shaye, who questioned the sovereignty of the former Soviet countries on Friday on TV, "were not a political statement, but a expression of personal opinions in a televised debate".
Therefore, a note from the diplomatic representation reads, "they should not be over-interpreted and China's position on the relevant issues has not changed".
On territorial sovereignty, "the position of the Chinese side is coherent and clear" and respects "the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and supports the purposes and principles of the UN Charter".
Moldova criticizes the Chinese ambassador in Paris
Moldova joined the European protests today following the statements of the Chinese ambassador in Paris, Lu Shaye, who questioned the sovereignty of the former Soviet countries on Friday.
"We are surprised by the statements of the Chinese ambassador who question the sovereignty of the countries that declared independence in '91. Mutual respect and territorial integrity have been the key to Moldova-China ties. We expect these statements do not represent China's official policy," read a tweet from the Chisinau Foreign Ministry.