On May 20th, the inauguration of Lai Ching-te was undoubtedly the biggest concern for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). However, on May 19th, Iranian President Raeisi died in a plane crash. On May 20th, an International Criminal Court prosecutor sought arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and three Hamas leaders. On the same day, the United States accused the CCP of providing military assistance to Russia at the United Nations Security Council. The CCP perhaps thought that these events could divert attention from the Taiwan issue and quickly responded to three international emergencies, even adding a separate response targeting the United States, but the results were embarrassing.
On May 19th, Iranian President Raeisi and the Foreign Minister died in a plane crash. CCP leader Xi Jinping quickly sent condolences, calling him a “good friend.” CCP Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated, “After the accident, China provided active assistance for search and rescue work. We are willing to continue to provide all necessary support to Iran.”
Neither China nor Iran clarified what “assistance” China provided or was prepared to provide. There is no information indicating that Iran publicly sought help from China; however, the United States revealed that Iran had requested assistance from the U.S.
On May 20th, a U.S. State Department spokesperson stated, “The Iranian government requested our assistance”; ultimately, “for logistical reasons, we were unable to provide this assistance.” The U.S. expressed condolences for the plane crash.
Iran views the United States as its biggest adversary, yet President Raeisi was traveling in an American-made helicopter. On May 21st, Xinhua News Agency reported, “Iran’s military ordered the establishment of a committee to investigate the cause of the helicopter crash.” The article stated, “The crashed helicopter model was the American-made Bell-212… This model is a civilian version of the UH-1N ‘Huey’ military helicopter extensively used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, with multiple functions and wide usage… Iran has a total of 15 Bell-212 helicopters, with an average service life of 35 years… Iran had a Bell-212 helicopter accident in 2018, resulting in 4 deaths… Due to long-term U.S. sanctions, Iran has been facing issues such as aging aircraft, shortage of critical components… This is one of the factors leading to this incident.”
Iran has been using American helicopters for 35 years, indicating the durability of American helicopters. Iran knows that these airplanes are significantly aged and lacking maintenance and should have grounded them. However, Iran seemed to have no other options and had to take the risk to continue flying. CCP official media tried to shift the blame for the crash to the United States, which sounds somewhat childish and shows a lack of awareness of their own shortcomings.
The CCP military has claimed to have developed various helicopters but did not provide any to their “good friend” Iran, whether due to CCP unwillingness or Iran not showing interest. CCP helicopters are essentially replicas of Russian, European, and American ones, and Iran should be aware of the CCP’s shortcomings. Iran prefers to continue using American old aircraft instead of CCP’s aircraft, showing that the self-proclaimed “great power” CCP has lost its value.
In reality, the CCP leader’s special aircraft is also American-made. If tensions escalate between China and the U.S., and the U.S. stops providing parts, the CCP leader’s special aircraft could also be in jeopardy. Xi Jinping’s special aircraft is a modified Boeing 747-400 passenger plane, purchased from the U.S. around 2000, and has been in service for over 20 years. Li Keqiang’s former special aircraft was of the same model and was briefly loaned to North Korea’s Kim Jong-un but not to Li Keqiang.
The CCP’s touted C919 large passenger aircraft has been completed and should have been replaced with American aircraft, building their version of the “Air Force One.” It is said that the CCP had such plans, but the U.S. President’s “Air Force One” is not just an aircraft but also a secure airborne command center resistant to nuclear radiation and shockwaves, featuring advanced anti-jamming radar and air defense missile systems that the CCP likely struggled to replicate.
The CCP can only improve the interior of Boeing aircraft for comfort, but beyond that, they face difficulties. The CCP leader continues to fly on Boeing aircraft produced in the U.S. for official visits. The CCP leader travels domestically mainly by special train and avoids flying; it is estimated that he will be even more reluctant to fly by helicopter in the future.
The incident involving Iranian President Raeisi disrupted the CCP’s plans. At least until a new president takes office in Iran within the next 50 days, factions will mainly focus on power struggles, with little energy left to cooperate with the CCP in the Middle East. Defeated, the CCP hastily shifted the blame for the accident to the U.S., willing to act disgraceful internationally, fearing a lack of chaos; however, their actions appeared overly naive.
On May 20th, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan stated that he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister, and three Hamas leaders, accusing them of war crimes.
U.S. President Biden stated, “Let me be clear: no matter what this prosecutor may suggest, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel in addressing threats to its security.”
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken stated that the U.S. rejects the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s attempt to equate Israel with Hamas, calling it shameful; “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that has perpetrated some of the most serious massacres against Jewish people since the Holocaust and is currently holding dozens of innocent persons… including Americans.” This “raises doubts about the legitimacy and credibility of this investigation.”
British Prime Minister Sounak’s spokesperson stated, “This action is of no use in suspending hostilities, rescuing hostages, or providing humanitarian aid. “Like other countries, the U.K. has not recognized Palestine as a state, and Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute.” Therefore, Israel is not within the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction.
The CCP has consistently been anti-American and anti-British while supporting Hamas. In theory, they should oppose the U.S. and U.K., yet unexpectedly somewhat aligned with the U.S. and U.K. in this instance.
On the evening of May 20th, Xinhua News Agency reported on this issue but did not immediately comment. During the CCP’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs press conference on May 21st, a journalist asked about the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s arrest warrants issued against the Israeli Prime Minister and Hamas leaders on the grounds of war crimes, despite China not being a member of the International Criminal Court, how does China view this decision?
Spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated that China “stands on the side of international law”; but also stated, “It is hoped that the International Criminal Court will uphold an objective and impartial stance and exercise its authority in accordance with the law.”
The CCP vaguely stated that it “stands on the side of international law” but did not join the 123 countries worldwide that have concluded the “Court Statute.” This time, they did not express support for the International Criminal Court, and instead, they hoped for the International Criminal Court to “uphold an objective and impartial stance.” In reality, the CCP was implying that the International Criminal Court does not “uphold an objective and fair stance.”
The CCP, of course, is not really “standing on the side of international law.” In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Putin. Clearly, China would not enforce it, as evidenced by Putin’s visit to China on May 16th, where he met Xi Jinping multiple times, completely disregarding the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant.
The CCP should be implying that the International Criminal Court did not hold an “objective and impartial stance” towards Hamas, but they cannot openly admit it. Therefore, on the surface, it appears that the CCP believes the International Criminal Court is unfair to both Hamas and Israel, which inadvertently aligns their stance with the U.S. and U.K.
Certainly, what the CCP most wants to say, yet also most cannot say, is that senior CCP officials cannot accept being indicted by the International Criminal Court. In July 2020, Uyghur activists filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court, requesting an investigation into CCP’s alleged genocide against the Uyghurs. If the CCP engages in conflicts in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, or East China Sea, CCP leaders could potentially be indicted for war crimes at any moment, which is the CCP’s biggest fear. The CCP’s public response shows its embarrassment, both outwardly and covertly.
In an attempt to divert attention from the Taiwan issue as much as possible, the CCP made a show of four responses to international events on the occasion of Lai Ching-te’s inauguration. They even imposed retaliatory measures against former U.S. Congressman Gallagher, perhaps thinking they could shift the focus away from Taiwan; however, these four responses turned out to be embarrassing moments for them.
The CCP does not dare to address the mainland epidemic, the flooding in southern China, or its economic challenges; in handling international affairs, they clearly lack the right approach, demonstrating low crisis management capabilities, highlighting the fundamental reason for the CCP’s recent international isolation and decline.
Qin Gang has been missing for a year, and Wang Yi continues to double as the CCP’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. The CCP’s top echelons apparently cannot find a suitable candidate for the position of foreign minister. Lack of virtue and competence reflects the reality in the current CCP leadership. It appears that even they don’t know how long they can hold on!
Epoch Times Initially报道