Referendum in Ukraine's 4 regions: China calls for 'respect to sovereignty'

China reiterated on Tuesday that the sovereignty of all countries should be respected in view of Russia's referendum in four regions of Ukraine.

“China has always maintained the sovereign and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a news conference in Beijing.

“The purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be abided by, the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and all efforts to resolve any crisis peacefully should be supported,” Wang was quoted as saying in the Chinese daily Global Times.

“On Ukrainian issue, China has always stood on the side of peace and committed to promoting peaceful dialogue,” he added.

Separatist-controlled Luhansk and Donetsk, as well as partly Russian-controlled Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, are holding referendums on joining Russia.

The decision has been widely condemned by the international community, with European countries and the US calling the referendums "shams" and declaring that they will not be recognized.

The voting period began on Friday and will end on Tuesday.

Ukraine has announced that those involved in a controversial referendum in four Ukrainian regions will be criminally prosecuted.