China should have included a condemnation of Pahalgam in the draft SCO Defense Ministers’ joint statement during the group’s latest meeting that it chaired since it wasn’t realistically going to oppose this predictable inclusion in the then-upcoming BRICS Rio Declaration.
It seems clear that China, India, Iran, Russia, Brazil ect are in rough alignment because they are threatened by the US/EU states. Left alone they would drift apart. This makes western policy all the more inexplicable over the last 20 years.
Decisions by indecision is how this all sounded. China basically came to the aid of Pakistan during the latest brew ha-ha between India and Pakistan. This has fractured the loose partnership between China and India already. This shows the weakness of the BRICS currency and coalition. At any point one country can just pick up its gold and go home. You cannot have a world currency where this is a possibility. The rest of the world sees this and is the reason it will never be the currency it was envisioned as. Nobody would purchase a bond (which hasn’t even been created yet) with this type of uncertainty.
I would otherwise have no insight into the wheels-within- wheels that seem to surround present day diplomacy.
In this instance we seem to have an uncharacteristically clumsy episode of flip-flopping by the Chinese government, leading clearly to some transient embarrassment.
This whole situation highlights the tricky political games in multilateral groups like SCO and BRICS. China’s decision to skip condemning the Pahalgam attack in the SCO statement—but then backing its inclusion in the BRICS Rio Declaration—looks like a case of trying to please allies while managing optics.
It is more than clumsy. Just like TikTok working overtime for-Hamas and pro-Iran. It might help with the Arab street/Muslim street, but I wonder if it helps with the governments in the Global South. Maybe they are just reading too much Pepe Escobar?
What or where is Pahalgam? What attack are you talking about? What is SCO?
Poorly written. It makes assumptions that the reader already has knowledge of certain events or organizations that are not normal topics of conversation. I have no idea what this is about without knowing the event and organization you are referring to, and most importantly the context of both of those to this article.
I hope China normalised with India. Pakistan is firmly now an ally of the US. It aided the US to bomb Iran. If Russia, China and India get together the world will shake!
China’s reputation is based on a central foreign policy of non-interference in other states political affairs. There is no evidence brought forward by India to the UN that supports the state of Pakistan as an actor in the attack. It’s entirely an Indian issue in Kashgar where a portion of the population has been discriminated against. Why would China get involved in their internal affairs which are being used to attack Pakistan and support Modi locally.
India's allegations of Pakistani involvement have nothing to do with condemning the terrorist attack that occurred. Your point is also contradicted by the very fact that China just approved of the Rio Declaration that condemns that same attack. The wording doesn't mention Pakistan at all, just like the draft SCO Defense Ministers' statement didn't have to either, yet China still refused to include such neutral language.
Honest question, how do you square China's approval of the Rio Declaration with its refusal just two weeks prior to include similarly neutral language condemning the Pahalgam attack in the draft statement from the SCO Defense Ministers' meeting that it chaired?
I genuinely want to understand your thought process, unless you're just doing "activism" by blindly defending China for whatever your reason may be. In that case, you're only further discrediting it by not accounting for its indisputable policy reversal towards this issue.
Based on your article, I don’t think it’s a contradiction to not condemn the attack in the SCO meeting that China chaired. There’s a difference in chairing a meeting and putting out a statement condemning a nation and being part of a group and not opposing a statement put forward by other parties. You might argue, they signed the draft statement put forward by Brazil but a lot is speculation. My argument, and most is obviously speculation but the whole idea behind Brics is to create a multipolar system. It might seem naive but a lot of speculation regarding Xi’s absence is seen purely from a Western lens. They might not want to project their actual power at this moment or feel they need to. Perhaps the BRICS summit would be overshadowed by Xi’s or indeed Putin’s visit other than the obvious risk for the latter.
You're mixing things up: condemning a country was never seriously considered, only condemning the same terrorist attack that China itself had already previously condemned, just now in a multilateral statement:
China is this year's SCO chair, it exerts more influence over the group's working order than anyone else. It could have very easily included a neutral statement that condemns terrorism without implicating Pakistan for instance.
My point would be, although a statement could be ‘neutral’ in terms of not naming Pakistan, it’s not neutral. Pakistan is a nation that has shown an interest in joining BRICS (recognised last year by Russia) but will never join as India are opposed to this. China could have mentioned terrorist attacks on its engineers working within Pakistan by terrorist groups supported by outside actors but it didn’t. China does not want to assign blame on Pakistan, India does and has done through this statement through BRICS.
The Pak army sponsors Lashkar e Taiba, Hizb ul Mujahidin and ISIS K. It's not fair to label this an " allegation" - see the funeral of the LT terrorists and the Pak army at its highest level present.
Pakistan is a terrorist state. The US uses it against Russia( 2023 and 24 Theatre attacks) and possibly Iran( funeral of slain General last year).
Hi Tani, I understand it’s a complex situation. As an outsider, from an Irish perspective of a complex situation in our North, there are no innocent sides. It would be highly unlikely that Pakistan would not be indirectly be linked in some way. IMO, and it is just my own assessment, India has responsibility regarding Kashmir and the troubles there. That is not to minimise Pakistan’s role either. The roots are in how it is governed and who is marginalised. Following on from that, the attack has been used for nationalistic political ends and not for the people of Kashmir. Regarding, Pakistan supporting terrorist groups, to imagine it more from a Pakistani perspective, the terrorist groups are against its own national and sovereign interests. It’s evident not just with regard to India relations but in the light of terrorist attacks within Pakistan. You’re right in pointing out the US as using ISIS-K. We should be looking out at the US and its role in meddling in Pakistan rather than just Pakistan itself. Instead India will court the US in this acrimonious dispute for its support against Pakistan, serving the US to have both nations against each other.
That anonymous troll which goes by the pseudonym "RiccardoG" (too cowardly to defame me under its real name and face) is deliberately misreporting what I wrote in this analysis and the prior SCO-related one that was hyperlinked to therein.
The indisputable, objectively existing, and easily verifiable fact is that the draft SCO DM statement in the latest PRC-chaired meeting didn't include any reference to Pahalgam despite mentioning terrorism in Balochistan, hence why India didn't sign it.
Like many Alt-Media trolls, this one has a fetish for China and will blindly defend it even at the expense of discrediting itself and inadvertently also that country. According to their dogma, China is above criticism, and only "CIA agents" critique it.
This directly contradicts the CPC's 2021 communique from its 19th plenary session, which twice mentions the need for advancing "self-reform" (do a CTRL+F keyword search to find the references):
If I was a kooky conspiracy theorist like he (maybe she?) is, then I'd defamatorily suggest that this anonymous Alt-Media troll is the real CIA agent for contradicting the CPC by lending false credence to the notion that China is against self-reform.
Time and again, I'm viciously attacked by anonymous trolls who imply or outright accuse me of being some sort of foreign agent in Moscow, yet they never account for why I'd be operating with impunity for 3+ years during the SMO.
The Alt-Media Community has been taken over by ideologically driven trolls who carry out never-ending inquisitions of anyone who even mildly suggests that the subject of their adoration (in this case China) isn't infallible.
The whole thing is rotten but most top influencers go along with it for clout, to advance their own ideology, and/or to solicit donations. Nobody has to tolerate regular and very vicious attacks against them. I have too much self-respect for that.
Notice the "concern trolling" too, which is an emerging troll tactic whereby anonymous trolls feign to be sincerely concerned about some "mistake" that the person who they're attacking allegedly made, even pretending to be "polite".
It's so insufferable and fake like most of the rotten Alt-Media Community. These people have no responsible for the defamatory claims that they make. They're cowards who'll never associate their real name and face with their attacks.
There have been a few notable exceptions, but those top Alt-Media influencers discredited themselves in objective eyes, only still being followed by fellow cultists who've been brainwashed with the conspiratorial dogma.
I don't tolerate ad hominem innuendo such as falsely implying that I'm a CIA spy operating in Moscow, which also discredits the Russian security services by suggesting that they're either utterly incompetent or "in on" your conspiracy theory.
To your facetious point, Pakistan could have vetoed the resolution just like India did, but Pakistan officially condemned Pahalgem:
""Pakistan has always condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," Mr Sharif added. "Pakistani armed forces remain fully capable and prepared to defend the country's sovereignty and its territorial integrity against any misadventure." "
So it therefore follows that it couldn't have realistically vetoed a neutral condemnation of Pahalgam without discrediting itself and opening itself up to Indian diplomatic attacks.
If you personally attack me one more time, you're going to be blocked.
Then, as this year's chair of the SCO, it didn't even mention Pahalgam in the draft DM statement despite mentioning terrorism in Balochistan.
And finally, China flip-flopped by approving the Rio Declaration during this week's annual summit chaired by Brazil which ended up condemning Pahalgam.
Instead of trying to cogently account for this policy reversal, you very nastily attacked me. You're a typical Alt-Media troll who isn't helping China's cause at all.
What are you talking about? Your previous reply is still visible above, I didn't touch it!
You're a POS who can't hold a candle to me. If you had any confidence in your defamatory claims, you'd make them without hiding behind your mask of anonymity.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, that you say or do will negatively affect me in real life. You're a kook if you think I'm operating as a CIA agent here.
And "mistakes"? No, "Riccardo", I proudly stand by this analysis, though I've also just as proudly recalibrated my analyses in the past in light of new information and/or insight.
That's not the case here: you popped up outta nowhere, emboldened by your anonymity which helps you eschew any responsibility for your reckless attacks, and then very viciously defamed me.
And you expect a respectful response? Who TF do you think I am and who TF are you? lol Really, you Alt-Media trolls are nothing but keyboard warriors and then you whine when you're put in your place.
It seems clear that China, India, Iran, Russia, Brazil ect are in rough alignment because they are threatened by the US/EU states. Left alone they would drift apart. This makes western policy all the more inexplicable over the last 20 years.
Decisions by indecision is how this all sounded. China basically came to the aid of Pakistan during the latest brew ha-ha between India and Pakistan. This has fractured the loose partnership between China and India already. This shows the weakness of the BRICS currency and coalition. At any point one country can just pick up its gold and go home. You cannot have a world currency where this is a possibility. The rest of the world sees this and is the reason it will never be the currency it was envisioned as. Nobody would purchase a bond (which hasn’t even been created yet) with this type of uncertainty.
Thank you Andrew for sharing these writings.
I would otherwise have no insight into the wheels-within- wheels that seem to surround present day diplomacy.
In this instance we seem to have an uncharacteristically clumsy episode of flip-flopping by the Chinese government, leading clearly to some transient embarrassment.
Thanks once again.
LF
Yes, it's very uncharacteristic, I was frankly shocked that China refused to include such a clause in the draft SCO DM statement two weeks back.
This whole situation highlights the tricky political games in multilateral groups like SCO and BRICS. China’s decision to skip condemning the Pahalgam attack in the SCO statement—but then backing its inclusion in the BRICS Rio Declaration—looks like a case of trying to please allies while managing optics.
It is more than clumsy. Just like TikTok working overtime for-Hamas and pro-Iran. It might help with the Arab street/Muslim street, but I wonder if it helps with the governments in the Global South. Maybe they are just reading too much Pepe Escobar?
Great piece, thank you. Appreciate your analysis.
China has no one else to blame for the mismanagement of SCO.
What or where is Pahalgam? What attack are you talking about? What is SCO?
Poorly written. It makes assumptions that the reader already has knowledge of certain events or organizations that are not normal topics of conversation. I have no idea what this is about without knowing the event and organization you are referring to, and most importantly the context of both of those to this article.
I hope China normalised with India. Pakistan is firmly now an ally of the US. It aided the US to bomb Iran. If Russia, China and India get together the world will shake!
China’s reputation is based on a central foreign policy of non-interference in other states political affairs. There is no evidence brought forward by India to the UN that supports the state of Pakistan as an actor in the attack. It’s entirely an Indian issue in Kashgar where a portion of the population has been discriminated against. Why would China get involved in their internal affairs which are being used to attack Pakistan and support Modi locally.
India's allegations of Pakistani involvement have nothing to do with condemning the terrorist attack that occurred. Your point is also contradicted by the very fact that China just approved of the Rio Declaration that condemns that same attack. The wording doesn't mention Pakistan at all, just like the draft SCO Defense Ministers' statement didn't have to either, yet China still refused to include such neutral language.
Honest question, how do you square China's approval of the Rio Declaration with its refusal just two weeks prior to include similarly neutral language condemning the Pahalgam attack in the draft statement from the SCO Defense Ministers' meeting that it chaired?
I genuinely want to understand your thought process, unless you're just doing "activism" by blindly defending China for whatever your reason may be. In that case, you're only further discrediting it by not accounting for its indisputable policy reversal towards this issue.
Based on your article, I don’t think it’s a contradiction to not condemn the attack in the SCO meeting that China chaired. There’s a difference in chairing a meeting and putting out a statement condemning a nation and being part of a group and not opposing a statement put forward by other parties. You might argue, they signed the draft statement put forward by Brazil but a lot is speculation. My argument, and most is obviously speculation but the whole idea behind Brics is to create a multipolar system. It might seem naive but a lot of speculation regarding Xi’s absence is seen purely from a Western lens. They might not want to project their actual power at this moment or feel they need to. Perhaps the BRICS summit would be overshadowed by Xi’s or indeed Putin’s visit other than the obvious risk for the latter.
You're mixing things up: condemning a country was never seriously considered, only condemning the same terrorist attack that China itself had already previously condemned, just now in a multilateral statement:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202504/1332699.shtml
China is this year's SCO chair, it exerts more influence over the group's working order than anyone else. It could have very easily included a neutral statement that condemns terrorism without implicating Pakistan for instance.
My point would be, although a statement could be ‘neutral’ in terms of not naming Pakistan, it’s not neutral. Pakistan is a nation that has shown an interest in joining BRICS (recognised last year by Russia) but will never join as India are opposed to this. China could have mentioned terrorist attacks on its engineers working within Pakistan by terrorist groups supported by outside actors but it didn’t. China does not want to assign blame on Pakistan, India does and has done through this statement through BRICS.
It really would be neutral though, including by the textbook definition of the word, by not blaming Pakistan or even implying blame upon it.
Also, China did include a reference to terrorism in Balochistan in the draft SCO DM statement, which alludes to the attacks that you mentioned.
China, like all countries, isn't perfect, but unlike many, it officially prioritizes what it calls self-reform, which includes constructive critiques.
As I've discovered, however, many online supporters of China can't accept even the mildest constructive critiques of the country.
That's what I feel is going on here, and I don't mean to offend you, but I've dealt with this so many times before on social media.
No matter which facts you or whichever of your peers are introduced to, the response will always without exception avoid critiquing China.
The Pak army sponsors Lashkar e Taiba, Hizb ul Mujahidin and ISIS K. It's not fair to label this an " allegation" - see the funeral of the LT terrorists and the Pak army at its highest level present.
Pakistan is a terrorist state. The US uses it against Russia( 2023 and 24 Theatre attacks) and possibly Iran( funeral of slain General last year).
It's high time the game of Pakistan is understood
Hi Tani, I understand it’s a complex situation. As an outsider, from an Irish perspective of a complex situation in our North, there are no innocent sides. It would be highly unlikely that Pakistan would not be indirectly be linked in some way. IMO, and it is just my own assessment, India has responsibility regarding Kashmir and the troubles there. That is not to minimise Pakistan’s role either. The roots are in how it is governed and who is marginalised. Following on from that, the attack has been used for nationalistic political ends and not for the people of Kashmir. Regarding, Pakistan supporting terrorist groups, to imagine it more from a Pakistani perspective, the terrorist groups are against its own national and sovereign interests. It’s evident not just with regard to India relations but in the light of terrorist attacks within Pakistan. You’re right in pointing out the US as using ISIS-K. We should be looking out at the US and its role in meddling in Pakistan rather than just Pakistan itself. Instead India will court the US in this acrimonious dispute for its support against Pakistan, serving the US to have both nations against each other.
This Alt-Media troll was blocked for continuing to defame and disrespect me after being warned under this thread to stop or face the consequences:
https://open.substack.com/pub/korybko/p/brics-condemnation-of-the-pahalgam?r=i1iin&utm_campaign=comment-list-share-cta&utm_medium=web&comments=true&commentId=133197348
That anonymous troll which goes by the pseudonym "RiccardoG" (too cowardly to defame me under its real name and face) is deliberately misreporting what I wrote in this analysis and the prior SCO-related one that was hyperlinked to therein.
The indisputable, objectively existing, and easily verifiable fact is that the draft SCO DM statement in the latest PRC-chaired meeting didn't include any reference to Pahalgam despite mentioning terrorism in Balochistan, hence why India didn't sign it.
Like many Alt-Media trolls, this one has a fetish for China and will blindly defend it even at the expense of discrediting itself and inadvertently also that country. According to their dogma, China is above criticism, and only "CIA agents" critique it.
This directly contradicts the CPC's 2021 communique from its 19th plenary session, which twice mentions the need for advancing "self-reform" (do a CTRL+F keyword search to find the references):
https://www.idcpc.org.cn/ztwy/hytl/sjjlzqhenzt/Reports/202111/t20211118_147545.html
If I was a kooky conspiracy theorist like he (maybe she?) is, then I'd defamatorily suggest that this anonymous Alt-Media troll is the real CIA agent for contradicting the CPC by lending false credence to the notion that China is against self-reform.
Time and again, I'm viciously attacked by anonymous trolls who imply or outright accuse me of being some sort of foreign agent in Moscow, yet they never account for why I'd be operating with impunity for 3+ years during the SMO.
The Alt-Media Community has been taken over by ideologically driven trolls who carry out never-ending inquisitions of anyone who even mildly suggests that the subject of their adoration (in this case China) isn't infallible.
The whole thing is rotten but most top influencers go along with it for clout, to advance their own ideology, and/or to solicit donations. Nobody has to tolerate regular and very vicious attacks against them. I have too much self-respect for that.
Notice the "concern trolling" too, which is an emerging troll tactic whereby anonymous trolls feign to be sincerely concerned about some "mistake" that the person who they're attacking allegedly made, even pretending to be "polite".
It's so insufferable and fake like most of the rotten Alt-Media Community. These people have no responsible for the defamatory claims that they make. They're cowards who'll never associate their real name and face with their attacks.
There have been a few notable exceptions, but those top Alt-Media influencers discredited themselves in objective eyes, only still being followed by fellow cultists who've been brainwashed with the conspiratorial dogma.
I don't tolerate ad hominem innuendo such as falsely implying that I'm a CIA spy operating in Moscow, which also discredits the Russian security services by suggesting that they're either utterly incompetent or "in on" your conspiracy theory.
To your facetious point, Pakistan could have vetoed the resolution just like India did, but Pakistan officially condemned Pahalgem:
""Pakistan has always condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," Mr Sharif added. "Pakistani armed forces remain fully capable and prepared to defend the country's sovereignty and its territorial integrity against any misadventure." "
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pakistan-pm-says-ready-for-neutral-investigation-of-pahalgam-attack-8260404
So it therefore follows that it couldn't have realistically vetoed a neutral condemnation of Pahalgam without discrediting itself and opening itself up to Indian diplomatic attacks.
If you personally attack me one more time, you're going to be blocked.
The indisputable fact is that China earlier condemned Pahalgam in language that didn't lend credence to India's accusations against Pakistan:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202504/1332699.shtml
Then, as this year's chair of the SCO, it didn't even mention Pahalgam in the draft DM statement despite mentioning terrorism in Balochistan.
And finally, China flip-flopped by approving the Rio Declaration during this week's annual summit chaired by Brazil which ended up condemning Pahalgam.
Instead of trying to cogently account for this policy reversal, you very nastily attacked me. You're a typical Alt-Media troll who isn't helping China's cause at all.
What are you talking about? Your previous reply is still visible above, I didn't touch it!
You're a POS who can't hold a candle to me. If you had any confidence in your defamatory claims, you'd make them without hiding behind your mask of anonymity.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, that you say or do will negatively affect me in real life. You're a kook if you think I'm operating as a CIA agent here.
And "mistakes"? No, "Riccardo", I proudly stand by this analysis, though I've also just as proudly recalibrated my analyses in the past in light of new information and/or insight.
That's not the case here: you popped up outta nowhere, emboldened by your anonymity which helps you eschew any responsibility for your reckless attacks, and then very viciously defamed me.
And you expect a respectful response? Who TF do you think I am and who TF are you? lol Really, you Alt-Media trolls are nothing but keyboard warriors and then you whine when you're put in your place.