China stance neutral on East Ukraine elections: "Respects sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine"

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Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Hua Chunying expressed hope that all parties will hold dear the ceasefire that is not easily achieved, keep calm, exercise restraint, properly resolve relevant differences through dialogue and consultation and work in concert to push for the political settlement of the crisis

China respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Hua Chunying said commenting on the elections in Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) Monday.

"China upholds the principle of non-interference in others' internal affairs and respects sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We hope that all parties will hold dear the ceasefire that is not easily achieved, keep calm, exercise restraint, properly resolve relevant differences through dialogue and consultation and work in concert to push for the political settlement of the crisis," the spokesperson said.

Elections in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, aimed at legitimizing new authorities, went ahead on Sunday with no significant incidents and with high voter turnouts.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued an official statement on the elections in DPR and LPR. According to the statement, Russia respects the process of self-determination in south-east Ukraine and acknowledges that elected representatives have gained the mandate for tackling the issues of restoring peace in the regions.

Comment: So far only Russia respects the vote and the results and recognize it as the will of the people in action. Meanwhile the West and Kiev are huffing and puffing trying to convince the world of the "illegitimacy" of the elections in Eastern Ukraine. As Roman Lyagin, head of the election commission, told Deutsche Welle:

"We're disappointed with the Ukrainian government," Lyagin told DW. "We're disappointed with them because they represent the international community. But they're just cavemen. Their place is in the rubbish bin, not in politics. So, believe me, we're not interested in the reaction of the international community."

"Kyiv has to come to terms with the idea that Donbass is not part of Ukraine," said Lyagin. "Whether they will recognize the result of our vote or not is Kyiv's problem."