China's Diplomatic Remarks on Former Soviet States Cause Uproar in Europe.
The Chinese government has affirmed that it respects the sovereignty of former Soviet Union republics after its ambassador to France caused an uproar in Europe by saying they aren’t sovereign nations. The governments of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania rejected Ambassador Lu Shaye’s comment to a French broadcaster. While answering a question about the status of Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, Lu said there was no agreement to “solidify their status as a sovereign country."