Are former Soviet countries without "actual status" in international law, as Chinese Ambassador to France, Lu Shaye claimed in an interview on French television? No, that's not true: On August 27, 1991, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Community acknowledged the State continuity of the pre-World War 2 Baltic states. This recognition served as the foundation for reestablishing diplomatic relations with each of the Baltic States.
The Chinese envoy's remarks sparked controversy, and a spokesperson from the French Foreign Ministry responded that Ukraine, including Crimea, was internationally recognized in 1991 by the entire international community, including China.
China is one of the founding members of the United Nations, which officially recognized Ukraine's independence.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published by @tomas_spacek_republika on April 23, 2023, under the title "This is how the Chinese ambassador enraged Ukraine and the Baltic." It opened:
In international law, these former soviet states dont even have status.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Jun 9 15:46:49 2023 UTC)
