Washington
China’s repeated move to block efforts at the UN to list Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist “grievously undermines” its narrative about the need to take a tougher line on terrorism and is harming its ties with India, top US experts said today.

Last week, China for the fourth time had blocked a bid at the UN by the US, France, and Britain to list Azhar as a global terrorist, citing a lack of consensus among the members of the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

“I think it’s an unfortunate move on China’s part and I question the logic of continuing to block sanctions on known Pakistan-based terrorists at the United Nations,” Jeff Smith, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation said.

Smith said China was “clearly” seeing its action as a favour to its all-weather friend, Pakistan.

“But the policy is increasingly undermining China’s own strategic interests and stated foreign policy objectives,” he said, noting that in September, China had, for the first time, relented to including specific criticism of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and other Pakistani terror outfits in the statement issued at the BRICS summit in Xiamen.

According to Rick Rossow from Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an American think-tank, China’s latest move affirmed Delhi’s belief in Sino-Pakistani collusion. “By supporting this decision, China could have taken an important step to restart its ties with Delhi, yet Beijing chose a different path,” Rossow said.