The recent statement by the Chinese Ambassador to France, Liu Shaye, about the ownership of Crimea shocked the countries of the Western bloc.
On the air of the La Chaîne Info TV channel, the Chinese diplomat was asked about his position on the ownership of the Crimea, the correspondent of “PolitNavigator” reports.
It depends on how you perceive the problem,” Shay replied.
He recalled the well-known fact that Crimea was “Russian initially”, and then was transferred to Ukraine by Nikita Khrushchev.
The French journalist noted that international law regards Crimea as the territory of Ukraine, to which the Chinese ambassador pointed out that for the states of the former USSR “there is no international agreement that would specify their status as sovereign countries.”
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He is convinced that the world should not quarrel over “such problems” and called for a cease-fire in Ukraine.
This statement caused a huge resonance.
Ukrainian Ambassador to France Vadym Omelchenko made an angry comment on his microblog:
Either there are obvious problems with geography, or such statements contradict Beijing’s position.”
The head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrel, also criticized Liu Chaye’s statements about Crimea and post-Soviet countries.
Unacceptable statements by the Chinese Ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of the countries that became independent with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The EU can only assume that these statements do not reflect China’s official policy,” Borrel hopes.
At the same time, according to the French newspaper “Monde”, about 80 MEPs called French Foreign Minister Cheyet persona non grata because of “denial of the sovereignty of the countries of the former USSR.”
In turn, the French newspaper “Figaro” writes that the French Foreign Ministry “reacted with horror” to Chaye’s statement. In addition, the publication points to the ambiguous position of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The leader of the People’s Republic of China managed to visit Moscow, thus confirming his intentions to continue his partnership with dictator Vladimir Putin,” draws the attention of Figaro.
The reaction of the former republics of the Soviet Baltic States became negative.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called Lu Shai’s statements “deplorable.” The head of Estonian diplomacy announced that he plans to summon the Chinese ambassador to his country for explanations.
Dmitry Belik, a State Duma deputy from Sevastopol, considers the words of the Chinese ambassador to France a cold shower for Western countries in “anti-Russian delirium.”
According to the deputy, the world understands perfectly well that the return of Crimea to Russia was a fair and natural historical step based on a democratic expression of will.
There is no official reaction from Beijing now.