China ‘agrees with’ UN move to debate Security Council veto but highlights procedural concerns

China understands and agrees with starting point of resolution aiming to strengthen UN system, counsellor at permanent mission says

However, new mandate ‘likely to cause procedural confusion and chaos’, Jiang Hua warns

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Liechtenstein’s UN ambassador addresses the 193-member General Assembly on April 26. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:49pm, 27 Apr 2022

China has supported a United Nations decision to debate the Security Council’s use of veto powers, but with reservations.

The UN General Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution requiring Security Council vetos to be subject to scrutiny by all 193 member states. The push for reform came after the world body was criticised for failing to prevent Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but will not affect the veto power held by the five permanent council members – China, Russia, the United States, France and Britain.

China, as one of the five, “understands and agrees with the starting point of this resolution” as introducing country Liechtenstein submitted the draft under the agenda of “strengthening of the UN system”, said Jiang Hua, counsellor at China’s Permanent Mission to the UN.

More than 80 countries co-sponsored the draft, with Russia and China the only permanent Security Council members not among them.

“In the cases that disagreement among the permanent members leads to the council being unable to act on major issues of peace and security, we are in favour of member states discussing them on the platform of the UN General Assembly,” Jiang told the assembly after the vote.

Jiang noted, however, that the new mandate thus given to the assembly creates a mechanism that automatically triggers the convening of a debate meeting following a veto.

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