China respects the status of the independent sovereign nations that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday, after Beijing's envoy to Paris sparked a diplomatic storm by questioning their sovereignty.
Ambassador Lu Shaye said in an interview aired on French television on Friday that former Soviet countries like Ukraine lacked "actual status in international law", prompting foreign ministers from several EU member states to label his comments as totally unacceptable.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning set out the official stance of the government during a regular news conference in Beijing, when asked if China stood behind the envoy's remarks.
"The Chinese side respects the status of the member states as sovereign states after the collapse of the Soviet Union," Mao said, adding that China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with those countries.
On the issue of territorial sovereignty, China's position is consistent and clear, she said.
China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and upholds the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, Mao said.
Asked if China recognises Ukraine as a sovereign state, Mao said China's position on this issue is objective and fair.
"The Soviet Union was a federal state, and externally as a whole, it had the status of being a subject of international law, so conversely, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the various republics have the status of sovereign states," she said.
And only sovereign states can become official members of the United Nations, she said.
"The country you mentioned is a full member of the United Nations."
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Ryan Woo; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
