China's foreign ministry has made clear that it respects the status of former Soviet member states as sovereign nations, after comments by its envoy to Paris triggered debate among European politicians.

In a TV interview on Friday, China's ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, was asked if Crimea was part of Ukraine or not. He replied "These ex-USSR countries don't have actual status in international law, because there is no international agreement to materialize their sovereign status."

Asked about China's official position, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing respected the status of the former Soviet member states as sovereign nations following the end of the Soviet Union.

Mao told a regular news briefing that her remarks on sovereignty represented China's official government stance. China has been "objective and impartial" on issues of sovereignty, she said.

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