How China stopped roll out of UN sanctions on Zim

By Staff Writer

As Zimbabwe and China edge closer to a landmark 45th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations, attention goes back to 11 July 2008 when Beijing (China) stopped roll out of Security Council sanctions against Harare (Zimbabwe) in a vote at the world body’s headquarters in New York.

China and Zimbabwe have had a close, fraternal relationship since the latter’s independence. China has an embassy in Harare. Zimbabwe has an embassy in Beijing and a consulate-general in Hong Kong.

China became the first country to open a diplomatic mission in the newly independent state in 1980, and the relations between China and Zimbabwe continue to firm.

The 45 years relations have seen both countries standing together not only on the political front, but also in other fields.

The draft resolution of the 15-member security council intended to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and an arms embargo to Harare but China as one of the 5 permanent members voted against that proposed measure.

Of note was the fact that it was China’s first veto against a UN resolution targeting an African country. Since then Zimbabwe remains the only country in the African continent to have received that major favor on a global scale from Beijing in history.

The 2008 draft at the UN Security Council stopped by China as a permanent member also intended to impose a travel ban and financial freeze against Mugabe and 13 senior Government and security officials allegedly most responsible for disturbances that had ensued in a previously held presidential election.

It was co-sponsored by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, France, Italy, Liberia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Sierra Leone, United Kingdom and the United States.

Part of the draft proposed:

“… that all Member States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to Zimbabwe, through their territories or by their nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, and whether or not originating in their territories, of arms or related material of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned;

“… that all Member States shall also take the necessary measures to prevent any provision to Zimbabwe by their nationals or from their territories of technical assistance or training, financial assistance, investment, brokering or other services, and the transfer of financial resources or services, related to the supply, sale, transfer, manufacture or use of the items specified in paragraph 4 above.”

The result of the Council’s vote was 9 in favour (Belgium, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Italy, Panama, United Kingdom, United States), to 5 against (China, Libya, Russian Federation, South Africa, Vietnam), with Indonesia abstaining.

The intended sanctions were therefore stopped because China alongside Russia were permanent security council members.

“That exercise of veto power spoke convincingly to the definition of China being an ‘all-weather friend’ for Zimbabwe. The people of Zimbabwe have indeed been treated very special as brothers and sisters by China, different from most African countries,” a diplomatic source told this publication.

“Even today as we mark 45 years of relationship with China, their commitment on Zimbabwe has been steadfast and they have not shifted. Going forward the relationship will definitely last.”

The draft text (document S/2008/447) would have determined, under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, that the situation in Zimbabwe posed a threat to international peace and security in the region.

“The most pressing path is to stabilize the situation in Zimbabwe,” China’s diplomat said at that time.

“We hope the parties concerned can engage in serious dialogue to find a proper solution. China as a responsible country will also play a constructive role in this process.”

At the outset of the meeting, Zimbabwe’s representative said his country was “at peace with itself and its neighbours”, but the British and their allies had used their media to “viciously portray Zimbabwe as a lawless, disorderly and undemocratic country”.

“There had been adverse, over-dramatized reports of inter-party violence, but only 10% of the country had witnessed some violence, which did not justify tabling the draft resolution. Zimbabwe had suffered under sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union, which had caused much suffering to the people and put the economy under siege. The current sanctions are basically an expression of imperialist conquest and no amount of propaganda or denial can ever wish this away.”

The representative of the Russian Federation said there had lately been some attempts to take the Council beyond its Charter prerogatives of maintaining international peace and security. Such illegitimate and dangerous attempts could “unbalance” the whole United Nations system.

Stressing that the differences in Zimbabwe could not be resolved by artificially elevating them to the level of a threat against peace and security, he called such action excessive. The draft was an attempt to interfere in the country’s internal affairs and ignored the dialogue launched between the parties.

Mediation efforts by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and President Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola were under way, and the draft resolution’s co-sponsors had not considered the position of regional States, which were calling for the continued search for a solution.

Since Zimbabwe joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China in 2013, the African country has benefited from the opening up of participating economies and the creation of trade links and networks with the rest of the world.

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