China's foreign minister yesterday defended the decision to veto a UN Security Council resolution on Myanmar that would have called on the regime to free all political prisoners.
China and Russia blocked the US-sponsored measure in the council's first double veto for nearly 20 years, hampering Washington's efforts to press Myanmar's military junta over its human rights record.
"China's position is completely in accordance with the UN charter's spirit," Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (李肇星) said on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in the Philippines, which is also being attended by Myanmar.
"It is in the interest of international peace and regional stability. It is in the people's interest," Li said. "If you read the UN charter, you would know why China voted this way."
He did not elaborate but China's UN ambassador said after the vote that the situation in Myanmar did "not represent a threat to international peace" -- one of the charter's standards for council action.
"China believes there's no need for the UN Security Council to get involved," Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya (
Myanmar has kept Nobel Peace Prize-winner and democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi in detention for much of the last two decades.
Her opposition political party won elections in 1990 but was never allowed to govern. Many of her supporters remain behind bars.
The US has accused the regime of torturing, raping and executing its own people, waging war on minorities and looking the other way while drug and human trafficking grows.
Myanmar has repeatedly proved a thorny issue for members of ASEAN, who are meeting this weekend in a resort in Cebu.
It has been slow to implement a pledged "road map" to democracy, and ASEAN countries have been debating the creation of their own charter -- which would allow them more sway over the internal affairs of member nations.
Student activists were set to hold a candlelight vigil outside the ASEAN gala banquet yesterday evening in Cebu to call for democracy in Myanmar, which has been ruled by the military since 1962.
The UN estimate there are 1,100 political prisoners in Myanmar.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS