Red Star Over China

The issue in Syria could be reaching a tipping point.  If the French resolution was to pass and humanitarian corridors were opened into Syria it could tip the conflict into an open military engagement. These corridors will need to be protected and this would come from UN peacekeepers.  This means that UN troops would be in Syria protecting these corridors and their bases of supply that would have to be established as drop off points for the supplies.  These drop off points may even take on green zone status which would mean defensive perimeters would be established.  I feel that this could add a lot of tension to an already tense situation.  However, Assad knows this and will most likely oppose this resolution and with Russian and Chinese support they will be able to prevent it from ever coming to fruition.  

Despite the controversial vetoes from China and Russia on the last draft UN resolution on Syria, China is showing some signs of much need diplomacy on the side supporting Syria.  The talks started by Chinese envoy to Syria Zhai Jun shows that China acknowledges that there is a problem on the ground in Syria and that they see the fallacies of Syria’s actions in this tragic conflict.  However, as stated in the article, “ the international community must respect Syria’s sovereignty.”  Therefore it seems that China will continue to veto any draft UN resolution that they view is in violation of Syrian sovereignty.  Yet as the article has stated the Chinese are not simply sitting back and letting the Syrians continue the attack on their people.  China is utilizing the only means by which it can try and facilitate an end to this conflict and that is dialogue.  While this may not seem like much coming from other nations the Syrians should take the Chinese words to heart because China blatantly put itself on the forefront of international scrutiny in the defense of Syrian sovereignty.  If the Syrians want to continue to see open Chinese support as opposed to abstentions then they need to acknowledge some of the Chinese requests for an end to the internal fighting.  

While I feel that it is good that there is a dialogue going on about this issue, I feel that if the US does not add some teeth to their argument then little change will be seen.  From the perspective of the Chinese it makes no sense to appease the Americans when they were forced to go from developing country to developed country way before they should have and thus missed out on international aid to their poorer regions.  China still has extremely low average wage standards when compared to other developed nations and just a few months ago changed its minimum wage from $1.00 to $1.10.  Why would the Chinese want to “play by the same rules” when they have a massive poor population they need to take care of? The US wants to have its cake again and eat it too, at the expense of the many impoverished Chinese trying to make a living. 

How many self-immolations need to take place before this issue and the grievances are legitimately addressed by the Chinese government? I agree with the article when it is stated, “The Tibetan-populated parts of China are experiencing their worst unrest in four years, ahead of the Tibetan new year on 22 February.” I Hope the protests that will most likely take place do not have lose of life and that something positive comes of them. 

The other 13 members of the council, including the United States, Britain and France, voted in an unusual weekend session favor of the resolution aimed at stopping the ongoing violence in Syria.

The rare double-veto was issued following days of negotiations aimed at overcoming Russian opposition to the draft resolution. Several European envoys said before the session that they felt compelled to call for the vote despite Russia’s attempts to seek a delay because of the escalating violent crackdown by Assad’s regime.

The urgency was heightened by an assault by Syrian forces firing mortars and artillerey on the city of Homs. Activists said more than 200 people were killed in what they called one of the bloodiest episodes of the uprising against Assad. The U.N. says more than 5,400 people have been killed over almost 11 months in a government crackdown on civilian protests.

“It is a sad day for this council, a sad day for Syrians and a sad day for all friends of democracy,” French Ambassador Gerard Araud said after the resolution was vetoed.

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said her country was “disgusted” by the vote.

Araud said Russia and China had “made themselves complict in a policy of repression carried out by the Assad regime.”

It is no secret that China has always been opposed to what it views violating a nation’s sovereignty in the past with UN resolutions and I think that this veto was another example of China reaffirming this strongly held belief. However, I feel that there were other reasons behind this crucial veto. It was expected that Russia would stand behind its long standing ally in the Middle East. China could have abstained from the vote and left Russia to take all of the flak but they chose to openly oppose this resolution and stand by their Russian ally. I feel that this move is China’s way of letting the international community see that they are becoming closer to the Russians and I feel it is likely we will see other joint legislative moves by China and Russia in the future.  

While it is great to see that the grievances of this town were properly answered and in a very transparent manner, I feel that it is only a band aid for a bullet wound. I feel that the Chinese government allowed this election to take place because it will help alleviate the rising tension over democracy.  While I do hold some hope that this could be a foot in the door for the Chinese people when it comes to democracy, the road to a provincial or even national election is a long one and this case is only the first mile on that road.  Congratulations to the Wukan people!

This could possibly be another example of China flexing its economic muscle. While they only other possible investor, the US, is having trouble taking care of its own finances, China  could use this to expand its it influence in the biggest ally the US has. How could this benefit China other than just expanding its influence? If China goes through with this aid package for the Eurozone, then they can secure one of its biggest importers. I think that this is no brainer for China. The benefits I feel drastically outweigh the costs.