China VS the West over ICC arrest of Al-Bashir
China supports Al-Bashir against the International Criminal Court
Apr 26, 2009
The decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir has once again revived old rivalries between China and the West in Africa. While China has been very consistent in her support for Bashir, the West increasingly sees this China-Sudan alliance as a bad example for Africa’s democracy. This explains why western countries want Bashir to face justice for crimes committed against his own people.
Western Support for Bashir’s arrest
Western countries have been very unanimous in their support for the arrest of Bashir on grounds of human rights abuses. The entire western world used Darfur to campaign against China’s hosting of the Olympic Games which human rights activists branded as “genocide Olympics” because of what was alleged to be China’s role in the killings in Darfur.
Under former US President George W. Bush, the US Congress passed a resolution on June 22, 2004 declaring the violence in Darfur as a state-sponsored genocide. Bush signed it into law as the Darfur Peace and accountability Act on October 13, 2006. It called for sanctions against Bashir and members of his government on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
There is, however, a slight but noticeable and significant shift in US policy towards Sudan under the new Obama administration. When Bashir expelled aid workers from Sudan upon receiving the ICC warrant, Obama approached him with caution. Two US senior diplomats, J. Scott Gration and John Kerry visited Sudan to talk about aid deliveries and the Darfur peace package. Bashir took comfort in the fact that the ICC was not mentioned in these encounters.
China and Russia Reject ICC Warrant Against Bashir
The places in Africa where China takes a bad name are Sudan (Darfur) and Zimbabwe. These names almost cost China the Olympic Games. China has, however, given a dear ear to western criticisms about her human rights records in both Sudan and Zimbabwe. When former U.S President George Bush named the situation in Darfur as genocide, China refused to call it by that name.
On the ICC issue, China stood clearly on Bashir’s side. Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said “China expresses regret and worries about the International Criminal Court’s issuing of an arrest warrant against the Sudanese President.” Russia took the same side. “The untimely decision of the International criminal Court creates a dangerous precedent in the system of international relations and could have a negative effect on both the situation inside Sudan and on the general regional situation,” said Russian diplomat Michael Margelov.
It is very difficult to predict Bashir’s fate at this moment. Will the ICC allow its authority and credibility to be trampled upon by the likes of Bashir? What will Bashir or his supporters do if he ends up in the Hague? The Sudanese President must have thought about these questions before making his choice of countries to visit. But for how long will this last?
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