No double standards on terrorism, warns China

By Amit Baruah

SHANGHAI, OCT. 20. In what should come as sweet music to Indian ears, some Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) members have stressed that there should be no ``double standards'' in dealing with the issue of international terrorism.

The APEC summit meeting itself takes place amid unprecedented levels of security - with barely a soul in the vicinity of the meetings - and only designated vehicles allowed on the road. Hectic bilateral meetings between Heads of Government continued on the sidelines of the meet. Briefing reporters after the first day of the APEC Leaders' meeting, the Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister, Mr. Wang Guangya, said this evening that any form of terrorism - in whatever country - should be condemned and acted upon. ``There should not be any double standards,'' Mr. Wang said, adding that such a view was shared by many of the countries participating in the APEC deliberations.

Evidently, Mr. Wang was referring to China's own domestic issue in Xinjiang, where it faces a problem of terrorism from sections of the Uighur minority on the border with Afghanistan. It has specifically condemned what it calls the ``East Turketsan'' terrorists. This statement on ``double standards'' is clearly aimed at the United States - that if China supported the U.S. military attacks in Afghanistan - then the problem in Xinjiang should also be treated as terrorism by the U.S.

The only reference to the ``economic agenda'' (which is what APEC is supposed to take up) was Mr. Wang's comment that there seemed to be general agreement among the APEC leaders that a new round of trade negotiations should be launched.

The Vice-Foreign Minister said APEC leaders met twice this afternoon. Two drafts were presented to the leaders - one on countering terrorism and the other the joint statement that will be issued after the meeting comes to a conclusion tomorrow afternoon. When asked if the draft on terrorism referred to specific support for the U.S. military strikes against Afghanistan, Mr. Wang said APEC leaders would discuss the draft over a working lunch tomorrow. The Vice-Foreign Minister said following discussions by the leaders there could be some amendment to the draft.

Mr. Wang said the issue of counter-terrorism had been dealt with in general political terms by the draft statement. He also made it clear that the current discussions on terrorism were prompted by the September 11 terrorist attacks and would not alter the main feature of the APEC forum as an economic grouping. When asked if the APEC leaders had any discussion on the ``definition'' of terrorism, Mr. Wang claimed that no legal definition of the term terrorism could be arrived at in the APEC forum.

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Section  : International
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