Chinese media defend veto of Syria resolution

The UN resolution would have sent the wrong message to armed groups, claim the state-run papers.

The sight of China and Russia vetoing a UN security council resolution calling for Syria’s Bashir al-Assad to resign left many with a sick feeling – particularly coming as it did against a backdrop of a fresh, brutal crackdown by Assad’s forces in Homs.

In an editorial, today’s state-run China Daily seeks to explain the rationale for the veto:

By only exerting pressure on the Syrian government and explicitly trying to coerce its leader al-Assad to step down, the resolution sends the message to armed groups and opponents of his regime that they have the support of the international community. This will undoubtedly make the Syrian situation even more complicated and make it impossible for all parties to reach a conciliatory agreement that is in the best interests of the country and its people.

We’ve seen what happened in Libya. With the armed intervention by some major Western powers, the Libyan regime was overthrown. But instead of the democracy and freedom they were promised, Libyan people cannot even live in peace as the country is in the danger of falling into a sectarian civil war …

China maintains that any attempt by the international community to help Syria solve its crisis must respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country. A messy civil war in Syria will not be conducive to peace in the Middle East.

A commentary in the Chinese People’s Daily takes a similar line. Reuters has translated passages from the article:

The situation in Syria continues to deteriorate and numbers of civilian casualties keep rising. Vetoing the draft security council resolution does not mean we are giving free rein to letting this heart-rending state of affairs continue …

Currently the situation in Syria is extremely complex. Simplistically supporting one side and suppressing the other might seem a helpful way of turning things around, but in fact it would be sowing fresh seeds of disaster.

More troubling still, perhaps, is the front page image from China’s Global Times:

The paper also has an editorial defending China’s stance, though it is not very coherent.

In Syria, meanwhile, the state-run news agency Sana salutes Beijing and Moscow while lambasting the security council member states that voted for the resolution.

According to Sana’s “Reality of Events” section – a heading which would be funny were it not for the bloodshed it attempts to hose away – “masses of Syrian citizens in a number of cities” gathered to cheer China and Russia for “supporting to Syria in the face of foreign conspiracy, backing its independent national decision and rejecting the foreign intervention in the country’s domestic affairs”.

It adds:

They raised national, Chinese, Russian flags and banners appreciating the patriotic role of the Syrian Army who has proved bravery in the face of foreign plots and the heinous acts of the armed terrorist groups.