Baltic states respond to Chinese diplomat who called sovereignty of post-Soviet states into question

The foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have responded to the recent remarks made by Lu Shaye, China’s ambassador to France, who called the sovereignty of the former Soviet republics into question and asserted that "Crimea originally belonged to Russia".

Source: Delfi, a news website in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania providing daily news

Details: A television interview given by Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to France, to Swiss journalist Darius Rochebin has caused an outcry. In particular, the ambassador asserted that the status of post-Soviet countries in international law is unclear, calling their sovereignty into question, Delfi writes.

Asked whether Crimea was part of Ukraine, Lu Shaye answered that it all depends on how you look at this question. "First of all... Crimea originally belonged to Russia, didn't it? And then Khrushchev [former leader of the USSR] gave Crimea to Ukraine in the Soviet era," Shaye said.

Rochebin argued that Crimea is part of Ukraine under international law.

Shaye told him that the post-Soviet republics have no status under international law. "In international law, the former Soviet states do not even have the status of... how shall I put it... actual status in international law because there is no international agreement that gives substance to their sovereignty," he stated.

The Latvian Foreign Ministry has responded to the Chinese diplomat's remarks. The chargé d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Riga has been summoned to the ministry to give an explanation on Monday, 24 April.

Quote: "Remarks by the Chinese Ambassador in France concerning international law and sovereignty of nations are completely unacceptable. We expect an explanation from the Chinese side and complete retraction of this statement," tweeted Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs.

Remarks by the Chinese Ambassador in France concerning international law and sovereignty of nations are completely unacceptable. We expect explanation from the Chinese side and complete retraction of this statement https://t.co/S937uXJGWJ

— Edgars Rinkēvičs (@edgarsrinkevics) April 22, 2023

Details: Rinkēvičs noted that this step had been agreed upon with Lithuania and Estonia.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said the Chinese diplomat's remarks clearly illustrate why Beijing cannot be a mediator in any peace talks in Ukraine.

"If anyone is still wondering why the Baltic States don't trust China to ‘broker peace in Ukraine’, here's a Chinese ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and our countries' borders have no legal basis," he stressed.

"For years the West said economic cooperation would persuade dictators to support rules-based international order. But all we did was feed their economies while letting them break all the rules. China is betting that we will repeat this mistake. It's time to try something else," Landsbergis tweeted.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also condemned the Chinese ambassador’s remarks, as Estonian news agency Postimees reports.

"The Chinese diplomat's remarks are incomprehensible. We condemn such comments about an independent and sovereign country," the foreign minister said.

For years the West said economic cooperation would persuade dictators to support rules based international order. But all we did was feed their economies while letting them break all the rules. China is betting that we will repeat this mistake. It's time to try something else👇🧵

— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) April 12, 2023

"The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to summon China’s representative in Estonia and, if necessary, educate him about our history. Our goal is to make it clear that such views are unacceptable and that Estonia is a sovereign state," Tsahkna said.

Background: Vadym Omelchenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to France, has rebuked the Chinese diplomat in France who said the status of Ukraine and Crimea was "not that simple".

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