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China’s top diplomat to the UN last week excoriated the General Assembly for voting in favor of suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council over allegations its troops committed war crimes in Ukraine.
Chinese ambassador Zhang Jun—without naming the U.S.—accused “individual countries” of “talking loudly of peace” but being “obsessed with creating bloc confrontations” such as “provoking tensions in the Asia Pacific region.”
The Trends Journal has reported on China’s refusal to condemn Russia, despite Western pressure. Beijing has been a top critic of the U.S.’s global influence, including Beijing’s tension with Taipei. (See “CHINA CALLS FOR RESTRAINT IN UKRAINE, BLAMES WEST FOR CALAMITY,” “BEIJING: STOP WESTERN SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA” and “WILL CHINA SOON INVADE TAIWAN?”)
The vote, which was led by the U.S., was passed on Thursday, just days after a massacre in Bucha was discovered.
“We believe that the members of the Russian forces committed war crimes in Ukraine, and we believe that Russia needs to be held accountable,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, said.
The UN vote required a two-thirds majority. Twenty-four countries voted against the resolution, including China, Cuba, North Korea, and Russia. Those abstaining included India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia.
“China firmly opposes the politicization… of human rights issues and using human rights issues to put pressure on other countries,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. “The decision [to suspend Russia] from the UN Human Rights Council will only exacerbate the division among member states … and set a dangerous new precedent.”
TRENDPOST: The Western media has already convicted Russian troops of committing the atrocities in Bucha—despite Moscow denying the allegation and calling for a UN-led investigation into the killings, which was blocked by the UK.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov disputed the Ukrainian claims, saying it was contrary to Moscow’s findings: “We would demand that many international leaders do not rush to sweeping accusations and at least listen to our arguments.”
In fact, in last week’s Trends Journal we published an article by Consortium News Editor-in-Chief, “QUESTIONS ABOUND ABOUT BUCHA MASSACRE,” that questioned the mainstream media and Western political narrative.
However, news outlets have been citing Ukrainian President Volodyrmyr Zelensky’s comments as evidence, “witnesses” from Bucha, and satellite images “analyzed” by The New York Times that claimed to show bodies in the streets during the Russian occupation of the town.
We’ve seen during this war that any allegation that damages Russia is quickly embraced by the Western media to sway public opinion to favor a conflict with Russia.