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China Sides with Russia to Block U.N. Action in Syria

In February 2012, China joined Russia in making international headlines by blocking an effort by the United Nations Security Council to end the violence in Syria. Both countries vetoed the resolution just hours after the Syrian military launched an assault on the city of Homs. The Security Council voted 13 to 2 for a resolution backing an Arab League peace plan for Syria. Russia and China voted against the resolution, seeing it as a violation of Syria's sovereignty. Syria's 11-month uprising has caused more than 5,000 casualties.

On February 14, 2012, Xi Jinping, vice president of China, arrived in the United States for a visit. China's presumptive next president, Jinping was watched closely on his visit by American leaders, who looked for clues to his future policies on critical issues such as the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran.

On July 19 2012, China sided with Russia again and vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on the Syrian government. The proposed U.N. sanctions were intended to push Syria into putting a peace plan into action and ending its 17-month-old conflict. The resolution was proposed by Britain and backed by ten other council members, including France and the United States.