US warns action after China blocks move on JeM chief

Hours after China blocked yet another attempt to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist", a US diplomat at the United Nations Security Council warned that members "may be forced to pursue other actions". In an unusually tough message, the diplomat said Beijing "should not protect terrorists from Pakistan or any other country" if it is serious about combatting terrorism.

China prevented a U.N. Security Council committee on Wednesday from blacklisting the head of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which said it attacked an Indian paramilitary convoy in disputed Kashmir.

India said it was disappointed at the block, which sparked calls for boycotts of Chinese products on domestic social media, while the United States said it was counter to a goal is shared with China of achieving regional peace and stability.

The Feb. 14 attack that killed at least 40 paramilitary police was the deadliest in Kashmir’s 30-year-long insurgency, escalating tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours, which said they shot down each other’s fighter jets late last month.

The United States, Britain, and France asked the Security Council’s Islamic State and al Qaeda sanctions committee to subject JeM founder Masood Azhar to an arms embargo, travel ban, and asset freeze. The 15-member committee operates by consensus.

In a statement on Thursday, the U.S. embassy in New Delhi said it did not comment on specifics as the deliberations were confidential, but added:

“We will continue working with the sanctions committee to ensure the designations list is updated and accurate.”

China had previously prevented the sanctions committee from sanctioning Azhar in 2016 and 2017.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday that the Security Council has specific procedures for naming a person or organization on the terror list.

China conducted a “comprehensive and thorough evaluation,” Lu told reporters. “We still need more time.”

In a statement late on Wednesday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs vowed to pursue “all available avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on our citizens are brought to justice”.

Many social media users urged Indians to boycott Chinese products, with hashtags China and boycott Chinese products the top trends on Twitter India.

Trade between China and India touched $89.71 billion in the year ending March 2018, hugely in China’s favour.