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China's Engagement With The Security Council, Christopher James Mccabe Holland

Christopher J M Holland

China’s engagement with the UN Security Council has received close attention since its veto of UN action in Syria. Some commentators have argued that this veto signals the beginning of a more aggressive and independent China, and is an indication of its resilience to western and foreign pressure. However, this paper argues that the significance of China’s resistance to UN action should not be overstated.

The proposed intervention in Syria, like in Libya, was justified in legal terms on the basis of the doctrine of the “responsibility to protect” (R2P). Since the genesis of this doctrine at the turn of …