Russia Stood Alone. China Didn’t Help Vote Down Trump’s Syria UN Resolution
Plucky Bolivia was the only nation to stand by Syria and Moscow
Russia’s proposed UN Security Council resolution envisaging a speedy and realistic investigation into Douma incident was voted down by a triple veto. US, UK and France all voted against it.
However an earlier US-proposed resolution, which proposed an investigation mechanism that couldn’t possibly work and would have opened an avenue for the American use of force had to be vetoed by Russia alone. Bolivia was the only other nation to vote against it as China merely abstained.
China did so albeit it had previously called for restraint and for no side to resort to force which should have naturally made it predisposed to oppose the American resolution. Likewise the Chinese did so albeit the newly-appointed Chinese defense minister was in Moscow talking up ties between the two armed forces and countries.
It has long been Chinese philosophy not to stick its neck out at the UN. Beijing rarely vetoes anything that does not concern its immediate interests and never alone. Additionally China has its own, more immediate American problems right now with Trump threatening a trade war and is presumably reluctant to provoke the US president into further enmity. Finally it is clear that in Beijing’s strategic calculation China benefits with the US and Russia at each other’s throats.
With US distracted by hostility towards Moscow it can not afford to at the same time act too aggressively against China, while the US pressure on Russia means Moscow has little choice but at least ensure the friendship of China.
Nonetheless, things are looking pretty grim for Russia right now (let’s not kid ourselves, in the Middle East the Empire holds escalation dominance) and a little support, no matter how symbolic, could have gone a long way towards securing long-term Russian appreciation. An opportunity missed for Beijing.
Nonetheless, things are looking pretty grim for Russia right now (let’s
not kid ourselves, in the Middle East the Empire holds escalation
dominance)
This is rather a dubious statement because Russia has means to retaliate in ME plus she basically controls theater in Ukraine, among many other things. This is, of course, if we are talking about real war not some show for the consumption of US media.
Pretty weak and neutered response by China as usual.
Very strategic on China’s part. Let the US and Russia go at it and burn themselves out. China doesn’t have to spend a time or fire a single weapon.
one veto does the job, so what is the fuss about?
In 2013 Russia and China were tricked badly by the deceptive US, UK and France over the UNSC Resolution 1973 on No Fly Zone over Libya. Thinking that a No Fly Zone was of no strategic consequence both trustful Russia and China made a huge existential blunder by abstaining.
The cunning Trio had hidden in small prints that they “are allowed to take any other actions’ to ensure the civilians are safe. As soon as Resolution 1973 was signed the evil Trio launched 120 cruise missiles into Libya and toppled Qaddafi, never mind how many civilians were killed
Now the strategic risk for China if she does nothing to help Russia contain the rampaging Trio is that China will be next on the menu after the Evil Trio is done with Russia,
Trump is only a fair weather friend of Xi Jingping and when push turns to shove China could be balkanized, her huge gold reserves horde confiscated (read plundered) and her economy in tatters and set back by 100 years. Heed Sun Tsu in the ‘Art of War’ when he stated that “Unity is strength”.