China rows back after envoy denies sovereignty of former Soviet states

Lu Shaye, China’s ambassador to France, said independent states that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union lacked ‘actual status in international law’. Photograph: Sébastien Nogier/EPA

Beijing has insisted it respects the status of the independent nations that emerged from the USSR after “totally unacceptable” remarks by China’s ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states sparked outrage in EU capitals.

France and the three Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia were among the member states on Monday to summon China’s envoys to account for the comments made late last week by Lu Shaye, which sparked a wave of outrage across Europe.