China backs Sri Lanka on UNHRC resolution

lkdood · **China backs Sri Lanka on UNHRC resolution -** 03-22-2012, 02:08 PM

China on Thursday expressed its strong opposition to a proposed United States-backed resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) calling on Sri Lanka to address rights violations, describing it as a move to “impose pressure.”

Ahead of the crucial vote in Geneva, the Chinese government went as far as saying that Sri Lanka had made “great strides” in promoting human rights and towards achieving national reconciliation, underscoring its support to an under-pressure Sri Lankan government.

“We oppose using a country-specific human rights resolution to impose pressure,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told reporters on Thursday. “We believe the Sri Lankan government and people are capable of handling their own affairs.”

China’s backing to Colombo comes despite widespread global concerns, including in India that the government had done far from enough following the end of the war to address Tamil concerns and investigate war crimes.

With India likely to back the resolution and move away from its earlier opposition to country-specific resolutions, China has emerged as the lone voice of major support for the embattled Sri Lankan government.

Mr. Hong said China believed that “dialogue and cooperation is the fundamental way out for the human rights dispute”.

“In recent years, in terms of promoting human rights and realising national reconciliation, Sri Lanka has made great strides,” he said.

China’s view, he added, was that the international community should play “a constructive role” in helping Sri Lanka achieve stability.

Chinese officials have reiterated their support to the Sri Lankan government in recent months even as it has come under rising pressure from the international community to investigate human rights violations.

China’s growing ties with Sri Lanka, marked by increasing financial and military support, have emerged as a source of concern in India.

The two countries pledged to deepen their strategic ties earlier this month when Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa visited Beijing.

Mr. Rajapaksa “expressed thanks for China’s support in the process of Sri Lanka ending the civil war and pushing reconstruction and development,” the official Xinhua news agency quoted him as telling Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie.

China boosted its military support to Sri Lanka during the closing stages of the war.
Mr. Liang stressed that China “will continue to support Sri Lanka’s efforts in safeguarding state independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

The Hindu