AKIPRESS.COM - China respects the choice of the Ukrainian people made at Sunday’s early presidential elections, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said on Monday, ITAR-TASS reported.

“China respects the choice of the Ukrainian people. We hope that the sides will adhere to a dialog and continue to settle the Ukrainian crisis by political methods to stabilize the situation there,” the Chinese diplomat said.

“We value our relations with Ukraine and will take efforts to strengthen them,” he said.

Ukraine held snap presidential elections on May 25. Billionaire Petro Poroshenko has gained over 50% of the vote, according to preliminary data.