China's Ambassador Sparks Outrage Over Sovereignty Comments.

The Chinese government has affirmed its respect for the sovereignty of former Soviet Union republics after its ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, caused an uproar in Europe by saying they weren't sovereign nations. Lu's comment was rejected by the governments of former Soviet republics, and French President Emmanuel Macron, who said "I don't think it's the place of a diplomat to use such language." The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that "China respects the sovereign status of the former Soviet countries after the dissolution of the Soviet Union."