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Reuters
Reuters
Politics

China respects ex-Soviet states as sovereign nations - foreign ministry

China Mao Ning Soviet Union Beijing Lu Shaye Paris United Nations
FILE PHOTO: China's Ambassador to Canada Lu Shaye delivers a speech during the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Conference at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, December 14, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

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.

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