By Shannon Tiezzi
China has serious reservations about joining U.S. military actions against the Islamic State.
Yesterday in a televised speech, President Barack Obama promised that the United States will work “with our friends and allies to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL,” also called the Islamic State (IS). Washington hopes that China will join the coalition to fight against IS — but so far, Beijing has refused to commit either way.
National Security Advisor Susan Rice reportedly pushed for Chinese support during her visit to Beijing this week. As a senior administration official told the Washington Post, “We’re trying to build an international coalition, and it’s important China be a part of it.” The official added that “the Chinese expressed interest,” but that no firm commitment was made. According to the official, the U.S. and China continue to talk about how Beijing might contribute to the fight against IS.
In his speech on September 10, Obama particularly stressed the global stakes involved in the fight against IS. He noted that the group “poses a threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, and the broader Middle East … If left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat beyond that region, including to the United States.” His strategy for eliminating IS involves U.S. airstrikes against the group in both Iraq and Syria, U.S. support for partners “fighting these terrorists on the ground,” targeting IS through financial sanctions and counterintelligence, and humanitarian assistance for those affected by the ongoing violence. Obama also announced that he plans to chair a U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss how to combat IS. Obama will certainly need Chinese (and Russian) support to get any meaningful resolution through the U.N. Security Council. How far that support will extend is an open question.
Read the full story at The Diplomat