By Michelle Nichols, Reuters,
March 1, 2015(Nyamilepedia) — China on Friday questioned the logic behind a U.S. push to create a United Nations sanctions regime for South Sudan while warring parties there negotiate a power-sharing deal to end the conflict in the country, the world’s newest state.
The United States circulated a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on the measure to the 15-member body on Tuesday but stopped short of proposing an arms embargo or placing specific individuals on a blacklist.
“The question arises as to what is the best way to facilitate (the political) process – whether at this moment, when the two sides are negotiating for a solution, you talk about imposing sanctions,” Chinese U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told reporters. “Frankly I don’t see the logic behind this.”
“Sanctions are a punitive thing to do … it intends to punish,” he said. “To apply a punitive measure now would send out what kind of a message – a right message or wrong message?”
China is a Security Council veto-wielding member, along with Russia, the United States, France and Britain.
Thousands of people have been killed and more than a million have fled their homes since fighting erupted in South Sudan in December 2013 between soldiers allied to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to his former deputy Riek Machar.
The core of the U.S. draft resolution, obtained by Reuters, is a threat to impose an asset freeze and travel ban for anyone undermining security or interfering with the peace process after March 5 and April 1 deadlines set by the eight-nation East African IGAD bloc.
IGAD has so far been unsuccessful in its attempts to mediate an end to the civil war in the impoverished oil producing state. China is a major investor in South Sudan’s oil industry.
“The highest priority either for the Security Council or the international community is to encourage in a constructive way negotiations with the hope that they would reach agreement at an early date and actually implement the agreement,” Liu said.
An advance party of Chinese peacekeepers arrived in South Sudan in January and the rest of a 700-strong contingent is due to arrive by early April to join a United Nations mission protecting civilians in the country.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
5 comments
really China is father of south Sudan through regime of kiir but,tomorrow it will be China south Sudan will be south Sudan that is why liu kiyie mentioned that is not logic behind.its true for you Mrs China,dinka you can’t impose sanctions on your wealth you agree sanctions before 4 month USA,France,British agree to impose sanctions to day no sanctions how can a future blind people of this nation can read you China.
I think the logic in U.S favoring sanctions is that the ethnic and genocidal government of South Sudan insist to maintained the statistics quo with the backing of IGAD and M7 directly involving the people of Uganda in the conflict. This worry the U.S because if the war is regionalised as it seems, U.S policy in the East Africa faces greater challanges. It is in the best interest of U.S to bring the war in South Sudan to a close. If the U.S is calling for sanctions against South Sudan to perlong the war creating more instability in the region as U.S is a major donor to IGADs member countries then its a matter of time before IGAD will crumbles as an organization due to conflict of interests in prolonging the war and regional instability. Some of these IGAD member country would rather continue reaching developemental goals and projects that are far more beneficial their citizens than wasting resources in what could be a long and a costly war. China and N-Sudan don’t care about the war as long as the output of oil pruduction is maximized, the old oil tranfere agreement fees thruogh N-Sudan will stay in its place robbing South Sudanese even more. On the other hand, N-Sudan would not concern itself with Kiir and M7 if and only if both could desist from supporting N-Sudan’s Rebel Factions and to keep Uganda’s UPDF as far as possible away from the N-Sudan’s border. New government in South Sudan threaten old oil agreements that favors China, N-Sudan, and the looting IGADs members and personalities involves in destabalising South Sudan. The biggest loser here is South Sudanese citizens and their leaders on both sides must make peace amongst themselves to stop all the looting for the sake of future generations. Any geuine South Sudan friend and those South Sudanese nationals who loves South Sudan and with good intentions for the country and its people should have an out of the box view of the situation to clearly see the games playing itself out. The bigger picture here is who is taking the loses and who is walking away with a basket of loots that they do not deserve. Peace and unity of SPLMs might give our South Sudan’s leaders a chance to reconciled and take the country back from these merciless animals within and outside our borders.
chinese haven,t see south sudanese suffering
Its very clear mr liu u ve right to questioning whoever want to sanction south sudan becoz u china,u re the owner of this nation south sudan,we the citzen of south sudan we become aforeigner that why u work according to ur willing,but makesure time is near whereby we will tell u getout from here,
China has allowed Syria to bleed to death, by refusing to impose suction against the Syrian regime. The Russians and the Chinese have always focused on the economic side of interest, other than the people’s suffering.