China criticises US secretary Mike Pompeo over Syria aid veto

China reportedly slammed the United States after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Criticised Russia and China for blocking a UN Security Council resolution over civilian aid. China accused Washington of 'politicising humanitarian issue' and said that it voted on the basis of 'right and wrong'. The foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang reportedly said that China rejects the accusations made by the US side on China's voting position. He further said that the US was pursuing a typical double standard.

Shuang said, “"We firmly reject the unjustifiable accusations made by the US side on China's voting position. The US was politicising humanitarian issues and pursuing a typical double standard”. 

China's comments come after Mike Pompeo on December 21, described as 'shameful' Russia and China blocking the UN resolution which has extended for a year cross-border humanitarian aid to four million Syrians. Pompeo said, "The Russian Federation's and China's veto of a Security Council resolution that allows for humanitarian aid to reach millions of Syrians is shameful”. He further added, “To Russia and China, who have chosen to make a political statement by opposing this resolution, you have blood on your hands”. According to international media reports, the humanitarian aid currently flows into Syria through UN-designated checkpoints in Turkey and Iraq without the formal permission of the regime in Damascus. However, the authority is due to expire in on January 10. 

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Syrian clashes

According to international media reports, Germany, Belgium and Kuwait presented a resolution extending that authority for a year, winning the support of 13 council members but drawing the vetoes of Russia and China. The Russian resolution would have granted six-months extensions, however, it failed to get a minimum of nine votes. The resolution failed as tens of thousands of civilians have been fleeing Idlib region amid heavy bombardments by Assad's Russian-backed government. Despite the United Nations’ repeated calls for de-escalation, at least 60 people have lost their lives in the violent clashes between Syrian regime force and armed groups in the past 24 hours, said a war monitoring group. The death toll is expected to rise due to the critical condition of several fighters on both sides.

(With PTI inputs)

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