China defends controversial decision to veto UN resolution

CHINESE government spokesmen and state media have tried to explain exactly why Beijing used its veto to block the Arab-sponsored UN Security Council resolution calling for Bashar al-Assad to relinquish power in Syria.

While Russian motives for doing so are fairly clear – they are linked to its long ties with the regime and a military base and weapons deals, as well clearly having an eye on its own domestic unrest – China joining with Moscow was nothing more than a throw-back to the darkest of Cold War days.

However, China’s rare abstention last year from the UN vote on a Libyan no-fly zone was later regretted by Chinese diplomats, who said Nato far overstepped its mandate.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin rejected criticism that China was favouring the government of Mr Assad, or that it was simply voting against the West.

“On the issue of Syria, China is not sheltering anyone nor do we intentionally oppose anyone. We uphold justice and take a responsible attitude,” he said.

The veto appeared to do little to burnish China’s self-image as a responsible major power – something noted even among Chinese commentators. “Only China and Russia – those two regimes which always treat lives as if they were trifles – would be extremely indifferent to the lives of the Syrian people and vote no,” current events writer Tan Fei wrote on his microblog.

Yet state media and government supporters strongly backed the move as the only responsible thing to do.

“To naively back one side, while attacking the other side, might look like bringing about a favourable turn, but is actually just laying up trouble ahead,” the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily newspaper said in an editorial.

The editor of another party newspaper, the outspoken Global Times, suggested the veto was at least partly inspired by a desire to snub Washington – despite the foreign ministry’s denials.