China and ISIS: Things to consider
- By Sumantra Maitra
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 26, 2015
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A bloody fight [By Jiao Haiyang/China.org.cn] |
The war on terror took a step forward with the killing of the Chinese hostage Fan Jinghui by ISIS, marking the moment its policy of executions encompassed all five U.N. Security Council permanent members.
In a subsequent press statement the 15-nation council also condemned the killing of a Norwegian citizen, Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, saying the crimes once again demonstrate the brutality of ISIS.
The terrorist group announced the two executions in its English-language magazine Dabiq. China confirmed the death of Fan. The U.N. statement declared: "The members of the Security Council stressed that those responsible for the killing of Fan Jinghui and Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad all be held accountable and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with China, Norway and all other relevant authorities in this regard."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement saying: "The Chinese government strongly condemns this savage act devoid of humanity and will certainly bring the criminals to justice". President Xi Jinping took the opportunity to declare: "China will strengthen cooperation with the international community, resolutely crack down on violent terrorist operations that devastate innocent lives and safeguard world peace and security."
He also said that relevant departments had been ordered to boost security work "outside China's borders." Chinese citizens were also killed by ISIS affiliated radical Islamists in Mali, West Africa, where gunmen shouting Islamic slogans attacked the Radisson Blu hotel. The three Chinese citizens killed were executives from the state-owned China Railway Construction Corp.
This brings us to the question of policy. What will China, the second largest economy and the third greatest military power in the world (according to Global Firepower), do in this situation, and what are the things she should consider before any steps to be taken? Well, it all depends on what the long term goal is, and that needs to be extremely cautiously planned.
First of all, the argument that imperialism is why ISIS has been able to flourish is increasingly proven flawed with each passing day and with each attack, against states that are not even party to the fight. China has never bombed Middle East, so why is it being drawn into the conflict now?
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