China defends Syria veto, denies sheltering Assad

CHINA has denied US accusations it was protecting the Syrian regime, after drawing international criticism for vetoing a UN resolution condemning a deadly crackdown on protests by Damascus.

Beijing called on both sides in the conflict to halt violence, after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused China and Russia of "protecting the brutal regime in Damascus", calling their veto of the resolution a "travesty".

"China does not accept the accusations" of the United States on the Syrian veto, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters on Monday.

"China does not have its own selfish interest on the issue of Syria. We don't shelter anyone, nor do we intentionally oppose anyone. We uphold justice and take a responsible attitude."

Thirteen countries voted for the UN Security Council resolution Saturday, which aimed to give strong backing to the Arab League's plan to end the crackdown in Syria, where opposition groups say at least 6,000 people have been killed.

The Russian and Chinese vetoes came hours after the opposition Syrian National Council reported a "massacre" in the central flashpoint city of Homs with more than 230 civilians killed during an overnight assault by regime forces. The rare double veto drew international condemnation, with Syria's opposition saying Beijing and Moscow had handed President Bashar al-Assad's regime a "licence to kill".

But Liu said China — which has a consistent policy of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs — had decided to veto the resolution because of the strong divisions within the Security Council on the issue. The People's Daily newspaper, the mouthpiece of China's Communist Party, added passing the resolution would have led to a "new disaster" in Syria. "The current situation in Syria is extremely complex," the newspaper said in a signed commentary.

However, some Chinese bloggers condemned Beijing's decision to veto the latest resolution.

"The Syrian people are being slaughtered. But China cast an opposing vote in the Security Council," said Arshavin The, 23, who is based in the central Chinese province of Hunan, on his weibo — Chinese microblogs similar to Twitter. AFP