China has accused the West of applying “double standards” by meeting the human rights of people fleeing the Russian-Ukrainian war, while simultaneously ignoring the rights of refugees from countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
“I want to stress that the international community should not adopt double standards on the Palestinian issue and other international and regional hotspot issues,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press conference held Monday evening in Beijing.
This came in Wang’s comment on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ statements after receiving US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Sunday, in which he said, “The current events in Europe have shown double international standards, despite the crimes of Israel that amounted to ethnic cleansing, racial discrimination, and attacks on sanctities. and lack of respect for international law.
The Chinese spokesman stressed that “the Palestinian cause should not be marginalized or forgotten, and the injustice that has lasted for more than 50 years should not continue.”
“China will continue to stand firmly with the Palestinian people,” Wang noted.
Wang also called for “greater unity” among Palestinian factions, saying they could “achieve genuine internal reconciliation.”
Peace negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides have been suspended since April 2014, due to Israel’s refusal to stop settlements, release old prisoners, and establish a Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed that the double standards of sympathizing with refugees in Ukraine, in conjunction with ignoring refugees from countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, is “unacceptable.”
Referring to the Russian military operation in Ukraine, he said it was “unacceptable to double standards and label civilian harm in Ukraine as war crimes while allowing civilians to be harmed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.”
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine , which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of “tough” economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.
To end the operation, Russia requires Ukraine to abandon any plans to join military entities, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and to adhere to complete neutrality, which Kyiv considers an “interference in its sovereignty.”
