China refuses to push Burma
By Jon Fernquest |
Harsh reality: China is not going to do anything about Burma:
China yesterday rejected US demands for stepped-up pressure on ally Burma, whose governing junta has been accused of spurning real dialogue with the pro-democracy opposition.
(Photo on right of Protester wearing Than Swe mask)
The Chinese stance is that the Western approach of sanctions and unrelenting criticism don't work:
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China wanted to see stability, democracy and development in Burma.However, Ms Jiang urged the international community to be "objective when viewing the Burma situation ... and provide constructive assistance."
China objects to Western criticisms of the military regime, claiming that conditions in Burma have improved dramatically since a violent crackdown on peaceful protests in September.
"I don't think sanctions are helpful," Ms Jiang said at a regularly scheduled news conference.
China's official Xinhua News Agency said...that Burma was "making efforts to realise national reconciliation and accelerate democratic progress".
This came after the US pushed for results:
Ms Jiang's comments come a day after a senior US official urged the international community to put more pressure on the junta, and said Washington had asked China to help arrange for a new visit to Burma by UN Security Council envoy Ibrahim Gambari to help push for national reconciliation.
The constant pushing by the West is probably driving things forward and leading to some progress, even though it doesn't really look like it is.
China is apparently working for change for Burma but is also apparently determined to do it on their own terms without pressure from the US:
They also follow a meeting in Beijing between senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Tang Jiaxuan and Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister Maung Myint, who was visiting as a special envoy of Burmese Prime Minister Lt-Gen Thein Sein.
(Source: AP Story in Bangkok Post)
Vocabulary:
harsh realities - things that are true but are also unpleasant things that you really don't want to think about
stepped-up - increased activity
spurning - rejecting
stance - position on an issue
sanctions - punishments
unrelenting - doing something continually without stopping
stability - without sudden unexpected and harmful events
constructive - comments that are helpful rather than unhelpful and too negative
a crackdown - strong actions taken to stop an activity
realise -
reconciliation - becoming friends again, improvement in relations between people who once disagreed
accelerate - going faster and faster
push X for Y - try to force X to do Y
urge X - advise or suggest strongly to do X
an envoy - a repsentative sent to a country to deal with a problem
do it on their own terms - to do something with your own conditions, without interference or involvement of others
