Ahead of the end of Germany’s term on the Security Council, retiring delegate Hoesgen called on China to release two detained Canadians. A remark prompted a disgruntled retort from China’s deputy representative to the UN, Geng Shuang.
Germany will end its two-year term on the Security Council at the end of this month, and Representative Christoph Heusgen plans to retire after more than 40 years as a diplomat. Unexpectedly, his last speech in the Security Council actually drew the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations Geng Shuang dislike back: “Don’t.”
Speaking at a Security Council meeting on the subject of Iran, Heusgen said, “Let me end my term on the Council by appealing to my Chinese colleagues to ask the Chinese government to release Kang Mingkai and Michael. Christmas is the right time to do so.”
Kang Mingkai, a former Canadian diplomat who worked as a consultant at an International Crisis Group think tank, and businessman Michael were detained by Beijing in 2018, shortly after Canadian police arrested huawei Treasurer Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. arrest warrant.
While Meng “is spending her days in a seven-bedroom mansion in Vancouver, Kang Mingkai and Michael are being held in a small, isolated cell in Beijing,” Hoygen stressed.
He said, “Some of you may think that these are just two isolated cases in a series of issues that the Security Council has to deal with every day, but they are not isolated and they cannot be ignored. They represent many other issues. If the Council ceases to care about the fate of individuals, their protection and security, human rights and freedoms, well-being and aspirations, it will lose legitimacy.”
Geng Shuang, China’s deputy representative to the UN, accused Højgen of abusing the Council’s platform and said, “I sincerely say a word of farewell, Ambassador Højgen. I hope the Security Council without you will better fulfill its responsibility to maintain international peace and security in 2021.”
Chinese Deputy UN Representative Geng Shuang accused Hoysgen of launching “malicious” attacks on other members and “trying to poison the working atmosphere.”
Hoisgen also used the Council meeting to suggest that Russia’s deputy representative to the UN, Boyarsky, read reports about opposition politician Navalny, who Hoisgen said had induced a Russian agent to reveal details of a botched murder plot against him. Previously, however, the Russian Federal Security Service’s security service had said the recording was falsified.
Boyarsky replied, “Hoysgen seems to have developed a certain dependence on the Council …… No meeting is held without criticism of Russia …… Even if the subject of the meeting is not appropriate, I hope that after January 1 his symptoms will improve.”
Recent Comments