China slams ICC for double standards and hypocrisy

the whims and caprices of powerful Western powers in dealing with leaders of developing nations accused of alleged human rights abuses and atrocities.
Addressing Zimbabwean journalists at a press briefing held at the State Council Information Office here yesterday, China Vice Minister for Information, Mr Wang Zhongwei, said China had been consistent in opposing the manipulation of the ICC by the West and stood shoulder to shoulder with weaker nations such as Zimbabwe who had been victims of naked aggression by the West.
He said China valued the support that Zimbabwe had rendered to it on many fronts and identified with the struggles the country was going through.
“While we are not opposed to the need to uphold human rights and good governance, we are totally opposed to the double standards and hypocrisy of the West towards the same issues. They (West) are always writing rules for other countries to play by,” said Mr Wang who is also the spokesperson for the Chinese Government.
The ICC has indicted several former African leaders for alleged abuses committed during their time in office while turning a blind eye to glaring violations of its statutes by countries considered allies of the West.
These include former Ivorian president Laurent Ggabgo, Charles Taylor of Liberia, the late Muammar Gadaffi of Libya and current Sudanese ruler Omar Al Bashir. On the other hand, gross human rights abuses continue to be visited on the Palestinian people by Israel while former United States President George Bush and British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair invaded Iraq on a false claim that the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.
In its resolutions on regional and geo-political development read at the end of the 12th Annual National People’s conference, Zanu-PF condemned the selective arrest of leaders from developing countries and called for the reform of the ICC.
Mr Wang said while China strove for peaceful co-existence with other nations, this was difficult in a world riven by conflicts ranging from the US which along with Europe is enmeshed in squabbles in the Arab world where there are uprisings.
“That is why we think it is unwise to lecture each other. We prefer to concentrate on our business. China remains open to sharing and exchanges with other countries but we believe in non-interference in their internal affairs,” he said.
Mr Wang said China was a victim of the same kind of foreign aggression being suffered by African countries such as Zimbabwe where Britain and the US have been agitating for regime change to punish the country for embarking on the land reform programme.
He said the Chinese government was, however, elated to learn of the social and economic progress that have been made over the years in Africa.
“We stand ready to make a contribution and we will never forget that we owe our UN membership to you. We sincerely hope that our friends from Zimbabwe will come here more often in order to gain a better understanding of China,” said Mr Wang.
A delegation of Zimbabwean journalists and information officers is on a three-week tour of China to gain a better understanding of the country. It has attended a series of seminars organised by the Chinese State Council Information Office and the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing.
Today , the delegation visits Zhejiang province in the east of the country where it will tour cities such as the provincial capital Hangzhou and Yiwu.
Mr Wang said while China was developing at a rapid rate to the extent that its economy was now rated the second biggest in the world, there continued to be immense challenges facing the government.
For instance, there are huge discrepancies between east and west China and because of the size of its population, China is still rated 100th on the GDP per capita global scale.
There is also a need to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.
“I am told you will soon be visiting the provinces. I am sure that the China you will see is a complicated one. On the one hand you will see amazing development and on the other gut-wrenching poverty. Although people’s lives have improved greatly, there is still a need for more improvement. So you see, while we are willing to help the rest of the world, we are tied down by our own problems,” he said.
Mr Wang said China was preoccupied with managing its 1, 3billion people and maintaining cohesion, unity and stability within the country.
“We believe in learning from ourselves. We cannot import ideas blindly from other countries. All experiences learnt from other countries are adapted to suit our experiences,” he said.