Editorial: China at it again

Terrorism is a global menace that demands joint international response and coordination. It cannot be tackled in isolation, nor can it be condemned selectively. The nations which infamously pursue the ‘good terrorist, bad terrorist’ line of policy are bound to swallow their own bitter medicine. By blocking the joint bid by India and the United […]

Terrorism is a global menace that demands joint international response and coordination. It cannot be tackled in isolation, nor can it be condemned selectively. The nations which infamously pursue the ‘good terrorist, bad terrorist’ line of policy are bound to swallow their own bitter medicine. By blocking the joint bid by India and the United States to get Lashkar-e-Taiba’s deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki listed as a global terrorist at the United Nations, China has once again exposed its double standards on terrorism and extremism. Makki, a US-designated terrorist, is the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The proposal was floated by India and the US under the UN Security Council’s Al Qaeda (Dae’sh) and ISIL Sanctions Committee. To rescue Pakistan, China has placed a ‘technical hold’ on the proposal. The proposal can’t be adopted till China withdraws the hold. This decision is extremely unfortunate given the overwhelming evidence against Makki. Moreover, it runs counter to China’s claims of combating terrorism. For years, China similarly obstructed the UN blacklisting of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. In 2015, China had also blocked India’s move in the UN seeking action against Pakistan for releasing the mastermind of the ISI-sponsored 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. It is clear from its track record that Beijing has been misusing its position in the UN Security Council and abdicating its international responsibility in fighting terrorism. Makki has been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youths to resort to violence and planning attacks in India, particularly in Jammu & Kashmir.

Protecting notorious terrorists from UN sanctions and other relevant measures will only undermine China’s credibility. Such an approach will only add to the growing list of issues causing discord between India and China. In 2009, India had moved a proposal to designate Azhar as a terrorist. In 2016, India and P3 nations — the US, UK and France — moved a proposal in the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar, also the mastermind of the attack on the airbase in Pathankot. In 2017, the P3 nations moved a similar proposal again. However, on all occasions, China blocked the proposal from being adopted by the sanctions committee. Apart from this, China, in league with Pakistan, has been playing spoilsport when it comes to India’s claim over permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council and its induction into the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Over the last few years, Beijing has been flexing its muscles in international affairs. It is building islands in the South China Sea and contesting territorial claims of neighbours in the East China Sea. It is now building a massive network of ports, roads, bridges, military facilities and bases along the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor route which would eventually alter the region’s demographic composition.

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