China claims to respect the’sovereign’ status of all former Soviet republics.

After Beijing’s ambassador to France sparked outrage in Europe by casting doubt on the sovereignty of those countries, Beijing said on Monday that it respected the “sovereign state status” of all former Soviet states.

According to Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, “China respects the sovereign state status of the participating republics after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.”

Asserting that nations that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union “don’t have effective status under international law because there is not an international agreement confirming their status as sovereign nations” caused a stir, Beijing’s ambassador to France Lu Shaye.

Josep Borrell, the head of the EU’s foreign policy, called the comments “unacceptable” and added in a tweet that the EU “can only assume these declarations do not represent China’s official policy.”

China respects the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of all nations, according to Mao, who also reaffirmed the goals and tenets of the UN Charter.

China was among the first nations to forge diplomatic ties with relevant nations following the fall of the Soviet Union.

“China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and equality to develop bilateral friendly and cooperative relations,” says the statement.