On Sept., 20 China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Fu Cong called for “maximum restraint” by all sides in the growing tensions along the border between Israel and Lebanon, according to the Global Times. Fu said that “right now the situation in the Middle East is hanging by a thread.” He said that some analysts believe that the recent attack by communications devices is a precursor to major military operations.
On the exploding pager attacks, Fu said that “China registers profound shock and grave concern. He said that children playing in the street lost their eyes, mothers shopping in supermarkets had their limbs maimed, and doctors on their way to work were critically injured. These and other harrowing scenes are distressing beyond imagination.”
Fu said that “remotely detonating communications devices in indiscriminate attacks, causing mass civilian casualties and panic is unheard of in history.… The attacks were so outrageously brutal and atrocious that they deserve nothing less than condemnation in the strongest terms… We call for a prompt full investigation to hold the orchestrators and implementers to account.”
Fu called on Israel to “forgo its obsession of the use of force and to halt without delay its military operations in Gaza, its violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and security, and its adventurism” which threatens to drag the region into yet another catastrophe. Without mentioning the U.S. or Britain by name, Fu urged all “countries with influence over Israel to take tangible steps to stop Israel from going further down the wrong path.” Fu ended his statement by saying that China supports “the UN Security Council in taking all necessary actions to ease the situation between Israel and Lebanon and to maintain peace and stability in the region.”
