Topic: Strengthening the International Criminal Court
Country: China
Delegate Name: Rima Mandwee
School: Mattawan High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All China position papers GLIMUN 2011 committees
The major powers who refuse to be bound to the proceedings of the International Criminal Court agree with the theory of the court. For a plethora of other reasons though, some cannot agree to be bound by it or ask others to succumb to the decisions of the court. Other nations who oppose the court have expressed concerns for politically motivated prosecution and interference with national sovereignty. China, as a nation not concerned with military commitments overseas or on international territories, does not oppose the court for fear of its own military being seized under the courts. As enforced in various international struggles, China is not a nation that finds it appropriate to pressure countries into signing bilateral agreements or agreeing to an international court's standard. China has always advocated non-intervention tactics for internal affairs, and holds firm a belief that issues held under the scope of the International Criminal Court could also be facilitated on a nation to nation basis given proper cooperation tactics and peaceful agreements.
In previous disputes where war crime charges were being discussed, China feared retaliation from those being prosecuted. For example, when war crime charges were pressed against Sudanese President Oman Hassan al-Bashir through the International Criminal Court, China feared the consequences impacting peace processes in Sudan. These effects are why China is reluctant to support such a court; there is no way to trace where the political influence comes from or ends up. Participation from the United Nations and the Security Council are meant to evoke peace on international playing fields, not evoke international interference. The International Criminal Court could weaken the power of the Security Council in the shift of focus; peaceful negotiations to prosecutions. China stands firm on the belief that the issues brought to the International Criminal Court need to be discussed and negotiated in a peaceful manner, but no nation should be bound to the power of an international court's judge. Our international field is one with the capability to conduct proper trials individually. China will continuously second that no court or nation can judge whether a state is able to hold a proper trial of its own.
