China again vetoes sanctions on JeM chief, India ‘disappointed’

China has again vetoed sanctions against Masood Azhar, the chief of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), evoking a sharp reaction from India.

China was the only security council member to oppose theproposal spearheaded with renewed vigour by France with British and US backingat the al-Qaeda sanctions committee to declare Azhar a “global terrorist” andimpose sanctions on him.

   

Wednesday was the deadline to take a decision in the currentcycle and because of Beijing’s veto—officially known as a technical hold—theproposal will remain on hold for at least three months.

In New Delhi, the external affairs ministry (MEA) expresseddisappointment over the outcome.

“This has prevented action by the international community todesignate the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a proscribed organisation whichhas claimed responsibility for the militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 14February 2019,” the MEA statement said.

India affirmed that it will continue to pursue all availableavenues to ensure that militant leaders “involved in heinous attacks on ourcitizens are brought to justice”.

The US had said on Tuesday that China’s opposition todesignating Azhar as an “international terrorist” runs counter to the mutualgoal with the US of regional stability.

As the founder and leader of JeM, Azhar “meets the criteriafor designation by the United Nations for a global terrorist” subject to itssanctions, state department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said.

A spokesperson in the American embassy said Thursday thatWashington will continue to work with the UN sanctions committee to ensure thatthe designation list is “updated and accurate”.

“As the United Nations sanctions committee deliberations areconfidential, we don’t comment on specific matters, but we will continue towork with the sanctions committee to ensure that the designation list isupdated and accurate,” the official said.

“With respect to China, the United States and China share amutual interest in achieving regional stability and peace, and a failure todesignate Azhar would run counter to this goal,” he added.

The Council’s sanctions committee on the Islamic State andal-Qaeda and linked groups—known as 1267 committee after Council resolution’snumber—needs a consensus for its decisions.

China had shown some flexibility last month on the issue ofJeM, when it went along with a Council statement condemning in “strongestterms” the Pulwama attack, calling it a “heinous and cowardly suicide bombing”and noting that the JeM claimed responsibility for it. Because of the growingrevulsion against terrorism, Beijing felt boxed in. Partly to assuage it, theCouncil made it a statement, rather than a resolution so that it would not havea formal vote.

However, Azhar has been the redline for Beijing and it hasfor a decade allegedly protected him.

Before Azhar’s case was taken up by the committee, Beijingindicated it would block the sanctions on him.

Using convoluted diplomatic language, Chinese foreignministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters in Beijing: “China will continue toadopt responsible attitude and participate in the deliberations in the UNSC1267 Committee” and “engage in consultations with various parties and properlydeal with this issue”.

Last week, Chinese vice foreign minister Kong Xuanyouvisited Pakistan for talks with that nation’s leaders. He declared that Beijingwas Islamabad’s time-tested friend and would stand by it.

Meanwhile, China Thursday defended its fourth”technical hold” on the designation of Pakistan-based JeM chiefMasood Azhar as a “global terrorist”, saying the move would give it time for a”thorough and in-depth assessment” of the case and help the parties concernedto engage in more talks to find a “lasting solution” acceptable to all.

The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al QaedaSanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the UK andthe US on February 27, days after a suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, leading to aflare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan.

The Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee members had 10 working daysto raise any objections to the proposal. Just before the deadline ended, Chinaput a “technical hold” on the proposal seeking “more time toexamine” it.

The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist.

Asked why China once again resorted to block the move,Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing here that Beijing’sdecision is in line with the rules of the committee.

China “sincerely hopes that relevant action taken bythis committee will help relevant countries to engage in dialogue andconsultation and prevent adding more complicated factors into regional peaceand stability,” he said.

“As to the technical hold at the 1267 Committee ouraction is to make sure that the committee will have enough time to study thematter so that the relevant sides will have time for dialogue andconsultation,” Lu said.

“Only a solution that is acceptable to all sides couldfundamentally provide a chance for a lasting solution to the issue. China isready to communicate and coordinate with all sides including India to properlyhandle this issue,” he said.

The Security Council 1267 Committee has clear standards onthe procedures of designating terrorist organisations and individuals, Lu said.

“China conducts thorough and in-depth assessment ofthese applications and we still need more time, so that is why we put forwardthe technical hold,” he said.

India Wednesday expressed disappointment soon after Chinaput a technical hold on designating Azhar.

Without naming China, MEA said the UN’s 1267 SanctionsCommittee was not able to come to a decision on the proposal for listing Azharon account of a member placing the proposal on hold.

To another question on the Wuhan summit between PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping last year to improvethe bilateral relations, Lu said, “Xi and Modi met four times.Particularly Wuhan summit made great progress. China is full of sincerity andready to work with India to build on the consensus of our leaders for greaterprogress in the bilateral relations.”

On the Kashmir issue, Lu said China’s position on it isclear and consistent.

“This is an issue that is left over between India andPakistan. We hope that the two sides will engage in friendly dialogueconsultation and solve this issue and other related issues,” he said.

Meanwhile, commenting on China’s move blocking Azhar’slisting at the UN, Chinese analysts said that Beijing needs solid proof to backthe proposal.

Long Xingchun, non-resident fellow of Chongyang Institutefor Financial Studies, Renmin University of China, told state-run Global Timesthat China is concerned about the recent attacks in Kashmir and feelssympathetic toward the victims but “this will not alter China’s consistentstance toward the status of Azhar”.

“If India cannot offer new evidence, China will notchange its position. If China does, it will be a repudiation of its previousstance and leave the impression that it was deliberately blocking India’s bidin the past. This will have a much wider impact on China’s diplomacy,” hesaid.

Zhang Jiadong, director of Centre for South Asian Studies,Fudan University, said: “China’s position on Azhar is consistent as Indiafailed to provide updated evidence. China and India should eye the biggerpicture and prevent differences over concrete issues coming in the way ofbilateral relations; otherwise, it will hurt the interests of both countries,especially India”.

Liu Zongyi, senior fellow of Shanghai Institutes forInternational Studies, said whether to list Azhar as a global terrorist hasbeen a long-lasting dispute between China and India. In 2017, New Delhi’sdemand was partly behind the Doklam standoff.

“If New Delhi succeeds in having both JeM and its leader blacklisted, Islamabad would be branded as a state sponsor of terrorism and isolated on the international stage. This is what India wants to pursue till the end,” he said.

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