China on Thursday suggested the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no right to take action against Min Aung Hlaing as the court mulls an arrest warrant for the Myanmar junta boss over alleged crimes against humanity.
The court’s chief prosecutor on Wednesday asked judges to grant an arrest warrant for the junta chief over military crackdowns on Rohingya Muslims in western Myanmar in 2017, saying he bears “criminal responsibility for crimes against humanity.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told AFP in a press conference Thursday that the Rohingya issue is “complex” and the ICC should “uphold an objective and impartial stance, strictly follow the principles of complementarity and cooperation, [and] exercise its functions and powers prudently in accordance with the law.”
“Under the [Rome] Statute, the court has no jurisdiction over acts committed by nationals of non-state parties on the territory of a non-state party unless referred to it by the UN Security Council,” she added. Myanmar is not a signatory to the statute.
The junta said Wednesday it has “never recognized” the court.
“As Myanmar is not a member state of the ICC, the statements of the ICC have never been recognized,” the junta’s information team said.
China is a major ally and arms supplier to the Myanmar regime that staged a coup against the country’s democratically elected government in 2021. Myanmar is also strategically important for China for its access to the Indian Ocean, which is subject to major projects under Beijing’s Belt and Road umbrella, and as a source of rare earth metals for its burgeoning industries.
Since the coup, Beijing has stood on the side of the junta and used its veto at the UN Security Council to bar action against it.
Closer to home, China has been putting pressure on ethnic armed groups along its border in Myanmar that have ties with Beijing to curb their fight against the junta.
Early this month, Min Aung Hlaing visited China for the first time since the coup, where he was showered with its political support. In return the junta leader promised to safeguard Chinese investments and implement Belt and Road-related projects in Myanmar “where possible.”
