ISLAMABAD/BEIJING: China on Monday called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to avoid “double standards” and respect immunity for heads of the state after a tribunal issued the arrest warrant for the leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin, on war crimes charges.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the international court should “uphold the impartial stance and objective” and “respect the immunity for heads of state from jurisdiction under international law,”
Wang urged the international court to “avoid politicisation and double standards,” stressing solution to the Ukraine issue remained “dialogue and negotiation.” China is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the United Nations (UN) treaty that governs the court.
ICC announced an arrest warrant
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday announced an arrest warrant for President Putin on the accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.
Moscow has dismissed the orders as “void,” With Russia not a party to the International Criminal Court, it is unclear if or how Putin could ever be extradited to face the charges. The warrant came just days before President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, a trip he described as a “journey of friendship, collaboration, and peace.”
President Xi is due to land in Moscow on Monday, holding talks with President Putin and signing an accord before returning to Beijing on Wednesday.
“The two sides would practice genuine multilateralism, promote democracy in global ties, build a multipolar world, improve world governance, and contribute to world development and progress,” Wang told the Monday briefing.
