Is China a definite ‘no’ on no-fly zone?
The Russian government has already voiced its opposition to imposing a no-fly zone on Libya, and it has generally been assumed that China — the other half of the U.N. Security Council’s sovereignty caucus — would be strongly against the idea as well. But the Financial Times‘ Daniel Dombey seems to detect some wiggle room ...
The Russian government has already voiced its opposition to imposing a no-fly zone on Libya, and it has generally been assumed that China -- the other half of the U.N. Security Council's sovereignty caucus -- would be strongly against the idea as well. But the Financial Times' Daniel Dombey seems to detect some wiggle room in Beijing's rhetoric:
The Russian government has already voiced its opposition to imposing a no-fly zone on Libya, and it has generally been assumed that China — the other half of the U.N. Security Council’s sovereignty caucus — would be strongly against the idea as well. But the Financial Times‘ Daniel Dombey seems to detect some wiggle room in Beijing’s rhetoric:
The announcement is likely to encourage western planners who are stepping up preparations for a no-fly zone.
Ivo Daalder, US ambassador to Nato, said on Monday the alliance could impose such a measure by the end of the week, although he added that the US would also seek a UN Security Council resolution.
Ms Jiang said Chinese support in the security council for action beyond sanctions “depends on whether it helps Libya to return to stability as soon as possible”.
She added: “In the decision-making process, we believe, Libya’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence should be respected,”
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, though it is a bit less forceful in opposition than one might expect. Then again, the Chinese delegation may figure that with Russia putting its foot down against "superfluous" intervention, they can afford to be a bit circumspect.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
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