Often ridiculed by the United States for human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, China has now responded in kind. At the first public meeting of the UN Security Council—after a delay foisted by the U.S.—on the Israel-Hamas violence, China, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council, took a jibe at the U.S. position.
“Regrettably, simply because of the obstruction of one country, the Security Council hasn’t been able to speak with one voice,” said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He even proposed a four-point proposal to normalize the situation: ceasefire, humanitarian assistance to Palestine, international support to cool the situation and a ‘two-state’ solution.
With the U.S. response to the crisis being at odds with other countries, China tried to fill the leadership vacuum, even inviting peacemakers from Palestine and Israel to hold direct talks in China! The idea was to isolate Israel’s formidable ally. “The U.S. stands on the opposite side of international justice,” the Chinese foreign minister rubbed it in.
