(MENAFN- Asia Times) The Chinese government has tried to control the damage of a diplomatic dispute after China's Ambassador to France Lu Shaye publicly questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet Union member states.
Lu was interviewed on Friday by Swiss journalist
Darius Rochebin during a TV program on La Chaine Info (LCI). Commenting on Crimea's sovereignty, he replied that the matter“depends on how the problem is perceived” as the region was originally a part of Russia but was then offered to Ukraine during the Soviet era.
When Rochebin said Crimea belongs to Ukraine according to international law, Lu said former Soviet countries don't have“effective status in international law.”
On Monday, the Chinese Embassy in Paris said in a statement that Lu's remarks were an expression of personal views and were not a political statement. It said the remarks should not be over-interpreted.
Lu's comments triggered strong complaints from three Baltic states, which include Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as queries from France and the European Union. About 80 European lawmakers signed a letter calling on the French government to expel Lu.
Chinese officials sought to smooth the troubled waters.“After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with relevant countries,” Mao Ning, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said in a regular media briefing on Monday.“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China has always adhered to the principles of mutual respect and equal treatment to develop bilateral friendly cooperative relations.”
“China's position remains unchanged and clear,” Mao said.“China respects the sovereignty status of the former members of the disintegrated Soviet Union.”
She added that some news media deliberately misinterpreted China's position on the Ukraine issue and maliciously tried to sow discord between China and relevant countries.
She said Ukraine is a sovereign state as it is a member of the United Nations. However, she did not clarify China's stance on Crimea's sovereignty.
She also refused to comment on Lu's speech but she stressed that her words represent China's official stance.
Praise from Moscow Dmitry Belik, a member of Russia's State Duma or Parliament, praised Lu for his statement that Crimea was originally a part of Russia.
“Chinese ambassador's statement poured cold water on the westerners, who are excited by anti-Russia nonsense,” Belik told Sputnik on Sunday.“Leaders of major countries in the world know clearly that the return of the Crimean peninsula to Russia is a natural step based on people's democratic will and fulfills the historic development.”
He said Russia and China are the countries that fight for“real democracy.”
After russian troops annexed crimea , a referendum was held in March 2014 to declare the region a part of Russia. But the United Nations passed a non-binding resolution to underscore the invalidity of the referendum.
Russian soldiers occupy the Crimean legislative building, Verkhovna Rada, during the February 27, 2014, attack. Photo: Wikipedia / VOA
Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, on Monday published a critique of the French TV program for failing to protect Lu's right to express himself.
“Lu's interview is very long. I read his overall statements and found no problem,” Hu writes in Weibo post.“Although he is a diplomat, his official representativeness declines when he is commenting on issues that are out of his authority.”
“His comments on Ukrainian issues were made within a special context during the interview and should not be singled out and put under a microscope,” Hu says.“As the French TV station requested this interview, it should protect Lu's rights of expression, instead of turning its back and making political denunciation. This is a shame for France.”
Hu says Lu did not come to an arbitrary conclusion over the Ukrainian issues and remained polite in the interview but Western media unfairly labeled him a“wolf warrior.”
Hu says Lu should try to resolve foreigners' misunderstandings while Chinese people should continue to support Lu. He hopes the dispute will have a“soft landing.”
China's peace plan China's stance on the Ukrainian war has been under a news media spotlight since Beijing released a
12-point statement on February 24 calling for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
China said at that time that the sovereignty of all countries should be protected in accordance with international laws, including the UN Charter. But it did not elaborate on whether Russia should withdraw its troops from Ukraine's Donbas region, or even from Crimea.
After French President Emmanuel Macron paid a visit to China and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping between April 5 and 7, he told the media that Europe must reduce its dependency on the United States and
avoid getting dragged into a confrontation between China and the US over Taiwan. Macron expressed hope that China will help persuade Moscow to end the Ukrainian war. His stance has drawn controversy among the US and its allies.
After Lu's Friday interview by LCI, the Chinese Embassy in Paris posted a transcript of the interview but removed Lu's comments about the sovereignty of former Soviet Union members.
Last August, Lu faced international criticism after he claimed that Beijing would impose
reeducation
after it annexes Taiwan.
Negative comments Many Chinese commentators and netizens criticized Lu for his latest speech. Their comments remain available on the Internet despite China's heavy censorship.
A Henan-based columnist's article published Monday is titled“Provoking 15 nations with one sentence? Is Lu's hawkish speech right or wrong?”
“Lu Shaye's sharp sword did not point toward the shameless United States and western countries but toward many of our old friends,” the author writes.“We have maintained friendly relationships with the 15 ex-Soviet Union members, except three Baltic nations. Among them, Russia has formed a back-to-back partnership with us and is an important power to fight against Western hegemony.”
He says Beijing does not care about the complaints of the three Baltic countries but is concerned for the feelings of the remaining 12 nations, which include five Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan. He says these Belt and Road countries can help China diversify its energy sources.
“With just one sentence, Lu may have ruined all our diplomatic efforts in Central Asia” and worsened China's“international environment,” he says.“From whatever perspectives, Lu's speech is unprofessional and extreme and has caused a big negative impact on us.”
“Our diplomats must have superb debating thinking and skills,” Kong Fan, a Sichuan-based reporter of Nouvelles d'Europe, a pro-Beijing newspaper, says in an article.“Facing the traps of Western media with malicious intentions, diplomats must stick to the theme of the debate, instead of speaking freely or being led by these media.”
Kong says diplomats must accurately convey the country's point of view during interviews.
read: china's ironic reticence on land grab in ukraine
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