ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates that China’s decisions over the UN sanctions policy against Iraq were dictated by these factors: its commitment to upholding its interpretation of international law and the UN Charter during a period of change in the post-Cold War era. The UN’s sanctions regime in Iraq from 1991 to 2002 began with high hopes for a revival of the collective security mechanisms envisaged in the UN Charter. The chapter examines China’s actions during the consultation and the voting on a number of Security Council resolutions adopted between 1990 and 2002. The Council became increasingly divided over the effectiveness of the sanctions regime and the dire humanitarian consequences, in addition to a number of technical issues such as definition of ‘humanitarian goods’ and time limit for sanctions. The chapter discusses the difficulties and changes in the evolution of the sanctions regime in the Security Council and the Chinese perceptions and positions over these issues.
