TOKYO, May 16. /TASS/. Chinese authorities have called on foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations in Beijing not to use their buildings for "political propaganda." This comes amid a number of diplomatic missions putting up pro-Ukrainian banners, Kyodo reported Tuesday citing diplomatic sources.

According to the report, a number of diplomatic missions in Beijing displayed banners in support of Ukraine, such as "Stand with Ukraine," written both in English and Chinese.

On May 10, the Chinese Foreign Ministry sent a note to embassies and international organizations with a call not to use their buildings for "political propaganda" and to "avoid provoking conflicts between states." The Ministry noted that foreign missions must follow Chinese law, while underscoring that Beijing adheres to the principle of diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

Diplomats from Europe and other countries reacted to the Ministry’s call "negatively," the agency says. According to the report, not a single mission that displayed such banners took them down. Embassies that displayed pro-Ukrainian banners include those in Canada, Germany and Poland. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry’s note was supposedly sent to all diplomatic missions.

A diplomat from an unnamed European country criticized China’s position and stated that "there is no reasonable justification for creating obstructions for a state to express its intentions," adding that his diplomatic mission does not intend to heed the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s call.