Duta Besarnya Di Eropa Sellip Lidahnya, Menlu China Tegaskan Beijing Terus Mendukung Kedaulatan Negara Asia Tengah

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. (Twitter/@AmbQinGang)

JAKARTA - China will continue to firmly support Central Asian countries in maintaining their territorial independence and integrity, its foreign ministry said, after a senior Beijing envoy in Europe sparked a commotion by questioning the sovereignty of these countries.

"China will as usual, firmly support Central Asian countries in safeguarding their national sovereignty, independence, security, and territorial integrity," the ministry quoted Foreign Minister Qin Gang as saying on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Qin spoke as he met his colleagues from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in Xian City, northwest China, the ministry said in a statement.

"Childs firmly support Central Asian countries in choosing their own path of development given their national conditions," Foreign Minister Qin said, adding that his party was against external interference in their internal affairs.

Earlier, Beijing's Ambassador to France Lu Shaye sparked diplomatic protests in Europe, when in a French TV interview on April 21, he questioned Ukraine's sovereignty, which was invaded by Russia last year, and five other former Soviet republics.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia were also part of the Soviet Union that Russia dominated before disbanding in 1991.

China's Foreign Ministry distanced itself from Lu's statement on Monday, while the Beijing Embassy in Paris issued a statement saying Ambassador Lu's comments were "not a political declaration but an expression of his personal views".

Both statements appear to be an attempt to ease tensions with the European Union, while the United States also cited concerns about the growing closeness between Beijing and Moscow.

Foreign Minister Qin on Wednesday also pledged to strengthen communications and collaboration with five Central Asian republics under the framework of the United Nations (UN) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), according to the ministry.