China’s foreign ministry said on April 26 that Beijing will continue to firmly support Central Asian countries in safeguarding their independence and territorial integrity.
The statement followed China’s ambassador to Paris causing an outcry by querying the sovereignty of post-Soviet countries.
"China will, as always, firmly support Central Asian countries in safeguarding [their] national sovereignty, independence, security and territorial integrity," the ministry quoted Foreign Minister Qin Gang as saying.
Qin spoke prior ot a meeting with counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the northwestern Chinese city of Xian.
"China firmly supports Central Asian countries in choosing their own development paths in light of their national conditions," Qin added, also stating that Beijing opposes any external interference in the nations’ internal affairs.
Beijing's envoy to France, Lu Shaye, caused uproar in Europe when, in a French TV interview on April 21, he questioned the sovereignty of Ukraine and other post-Soviet republics.
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