The Chinese ambassador to the UN criticized, on Friday, a draft resolution by the United States and Bahrain concerning the Strait of Hormuz, saying that the content and timing were not appropriate and that its adoption would not be useful.
The draft resolution requires Iran to halt attacks and mining in the strait, but diplomats said that Russian and Chinese vetoes are likely if the measure goes to a vote. Both countries vetoed a similar resolution backed by the U.S. last month, arguing that it was biased against Iran.
The Pass Blue UN news portal published a short clip of an improvised interview with the Chinese envoy to the UN, Fu Cong, in which he said, when asked about the resolution: ‘We do not think the content is correct and the timing is not appropriate’.
‘What we need is to urge both sides to engage in serious, good-faith negotiations that could resolve the issue. Therefore, we do not believe that passing a resolution at this stage would be useful’, he said.
Fu said that if it were up to China, as the current president of the UN Security Council with 15 members, the resolution would not be put to a vote.
The Chinese mission to the UN said it was China’s responsibility, as president of the council, to organize a vote if the sponsors of the draft resolution requested it, but so far there had been no request.
The U.S. mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fu’s remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump held a two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which ended on Friday, during which, according to the White House, they agreed that the strait should remain open and Xi made clear Beijing’s opposition to militarizing the waterway and to any effort to charge a toll for its use.
Xi did not comment on the issue, though the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed Beijing’s frustration with the war in Iran, saying: ‘This conflict, which should never have happened, has no reason to continue’.
