CHINA:THE CHINESE government has renewed its call for an immediate ceasefire in Libya and wants greater efforts to find a solution through dialogue, saying the fighting could harm already shaky regional stability.
“We believe that the objective of enforcing the UN Security Council resolution is to protect humanitarian [objectives] and not to create an even bigger humanitarian disaster,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news conference in Beijing.
China abstained from the UN Security Council vote that authorised the intervention, but has since criticised the large-scale US, British and French ground and air attacks on Libyan leader Muammar Gadafy as disproportionate, and potentially risking civilian lives.
Her remarks follow strongly worded criticisms in the Chinese media of the attacks.
"The military involvement of Western coalitions in the Middle East is closely associated with oil reserves and strategic interests," ran a commentary in the People's Daily. "Iraq was invaded for oil. Now it is Libya."
China’s renewed urging to de-escalate the fighting is further evidence of the challenge of finding a broad consensus to back the attacks on Libya.
Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa as well as China – the so- called BRICS countries – have condemned the attack, saying that they go beyond the original plan, which was to impose a defensive no-fly zone.
Any decisions on what actions the Security Council took should be made by consultation among the council member states, said Ms Jiang, and China was willing to work with others to promote a resolution of the crisis through dialogue and other diplomatic means.
“Libya’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity should be respected. We also urge all sides to immediately cease fire and avoid the conflict escalating, which would worsen the situation region-wide,” she added.
Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is a common line from the Chinese government when it comes to international disputes, and Beijing often uses it to ward off Western criticism of its policies in Tibet or Xinjiang.
Western warplanes began striking Libya over the weekend, but have so far have failed to stop Gadafy’s tanks from shelling rebel-held towns or dislodge his forces from a strategic junction in the east.