China's Activism on the Unceasing Conflict of Syria

The seemingly unceasing conflict in Syria which has resulted in a devastating civil war is being closely watched by China as it appears keen on taking a proactive, hands-on role in bringing about a resolution to the Syrian crisis. From an initial stance of not “taking sides”, Beijing simultaneously has been urging the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad to talk to the dissident opposition forces.

Following the vote at the UN General Assembly on the Draft Resolution on Syria, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Wang Min, condemned all acts of violence against civilians and insisted on the government and all political factions of Syria to restore stability. However, China has repeatedly called on the Assad regime in Syria to address the legitimate desire of the Syrian people in favour of reform and development.

The Chinese position herein mirrors that of the Arab League. The December 2011 Arab League Peace Plan primarily advocated for an immediate end to the nonstop violence and more significantly stated that external military intervention should be avoided. Launching an all inclusive political dialogue within Syria to discuss political reform is certainly the call of the hour. China has backed implementation of a referendum on the draft of a new constitution and parliamentary elections wherein all political factions take part.

China’s staunch disapproval of external military intervention to force a regime change in Syria is rooted in its discomfort with meddling in the sovereignty and internal political affairs of Syria—considered by China as a violation of norms regarding legitimate international conduct. China has forcefully upheld the principle of state sovereignty against arbitrary external military interference.

Chinese representative to the United Nations stated, “… we do not believe that sanctions or the threat of sanctions is helpful to achieving an appropriate solution… The international community and the UN on the issue of Syria should help in facilitating political dialogue and resolving differences… China is willing to maintain communication with the government and various political factions of Syria, as well as the Arab countries and the League of Arab States.”

In a crucial turn of events, the Chinese state media has openly blamed the Syrian government as well as opposition forces for “training Muslim extremists” responsible for the latest unrest in China’s far-western region of Xinjiang. Traditionally blaming Islamic separatists for igniting violence in Xinjiang, home to the Turkic-speaking Muslim Uyghur community, Beijing, for the first time has explicitly blamed Syria, thus attempting to portray that violence in Xinjiang have a foreign hand. The mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, Global Times, stated that some members of the “East Turkestan” faction moved from Turkey into Syria and participated in extremist, religious and terrorist activities within the Syrian opposition forces and fought with the Syrian army.

Strangely, the Chinese authorities are seen here to be conveniently passing the buck to external factors and have chosen not to discuss homespun causes that have resulted in this long-standing resentment. Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang oppose severe Chinese government restrictions on their culture, language and religion with Chinese paramilitary police forces known to have flooded streets of Xinjiang’s capital city, Urumqi.

The above-mentioned conviction of a Syrian angle in the current Xinjiang unrest notwithstanding, the Chinese leadership has repeatedly exercised its veto against UN resolutions on Syria. China’s position underwent a dramatic shift in the case of Syria, in which, China, along with Russia opposed initiatives to condemn Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in Syria and take punitive measures against the Assad regime. Vetoing the draft Security Council resolutions against Syria three times in October 2011, February 2012 and July 2012, China’s Syria policy of late represents a shift in its broader West Asian policies with greater visible diplomatic activism.

The Russian and Chinese position on Syria represents a countervailing balance to the Western bloc in the UN Security Council. According to Chinese state-controlled media, “The Sino-Russian strategic cooperation … in dealing with specific international affairs … war in Syria is a good example … Were it not for China and Russia, overthrowing a sovereign country’s government through external intervention would have become a new game rule in today’s world.”

Beijing’s activism in international affairs signals a substantial policy shift from the time when China expressed discontent with external military intervention by abstaining from UN Security Council voting in the case of adoption of resolutions against Iraq and Libya. Elevating its international diplomatic profile and clout is high on the agenda of the Chinese leadership and Beijing’s position in the case of Syria and North Korea demonstrate this intent and resolve.

The author is a Senior Fellow at CLAWS

Views expressed are personal