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April 25, 2023

China Disavows Senior Diplomat's Comment Questioning Sovereignty of Ex-Soviet States
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China's Foreign Ministry has walked back comments by a senior Chinese
diplomat questioning the sovereignty of Ukraine and other former Soviet
states. Lu Shaye, China's ambassador to France, said on Friday the
nations "do not have an effective status in international law." That
prompted several nations, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, to
summon Chinese envoys to explain Beijing's official position. In a
statement, China's Foreign Ministry said Lu's comments were "not a
political declaration but an expression of personal points of view
during a televised debate." We'll have more on this story after
headlines.


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