China unwavering on Syria in new UN vote

China voted against a draft resolution on Syria at the UN General Assembly Thursday, days after it vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution pressing for regime change in Damascus.

The country's courage to truly express itself and to calmly stand its ground is worthy of merit. Some Western media ridiculed certain nations, including China and Russia, for these choices. The trajectory of China's influence on world politics is rising. The West should be advised to reduce its expectations on abstention votes by China. Like it or not, China's stance must be taken into more serious consideration.

Politics serve to secure national interests on the global stage. Western powers are privileged to interpret interests and ethics at their own will due to their obvious dominance of public opinion. They label the 12 countries who voted differently to them at the UN as being "unethical." China should never be fooled by this hypocrisy.

The US and Israel were the only two nations that were against a draft resolution on Cuba at the UN Assembly in November. The US appeared to be more isolated than the current 12 nations. Washington acted against public global opinion despite its monopoly of the world's richest resources and leverage in directing the world's development.

China must act confidently and proactively in implementing its diplomatic strategy. China's vote, representing one-fifth of the entire world population, deserves its due respect.

It is wrong to blindly come down on the side of the West in each vote. Calls for China to vote in along with "universal values" can frequently be heard online. But that is a mere reflection of diverse and vibrant public voices.

Western values that contradict China's rise would eventually infiltrate global affairs and consequently seek to weaken China in various ways. As China rises, so will the pressure it faces. China appears to be an easy target for some Western media.

A lack of confidence is the root cause for the unease of some Chinese when faced with Western accusations. Confidence comes from looking at facts from a historical perspective.

We have to halt the stereotyped view of China, which is a player more willing to make concessions to avoid trouble. They should be advised to look at China as a country that does not bring unnecessary trouble, but also never shuns away from dealing with trouble head-on.

We are a peace-loving nation, which has not been involved in any military conflict for more than two decades. In sharp contrast, countries such as the US and Britain have engaged in numerous wars during the same period. Now, they think to lecture us on justice. Surely, they cannot ignore the irony.