China's Position on Iraq vis-à-vis UNSCR 1441

The People's Republic of China's attitude toward Iraq is studied by examining the Chinese state's reception of the UN Security Council Resolution 1441. Although Chinese officials initially sided with the UN's critique of Iraq's reluctance to permit unfettered weapons inspections, it is asserted that the Chinese state did not believe that all peaceful alternatives to the aforementioned resolution had been attempted prior to the US-led attack against Iraq in March 2003; indeed, it is revealed that Chinese officials challenged the legality of the attacks against Iraq. It is subsequently argued that the People's Republic of China has tried to exploit international action against Iraq in its own struggles with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. The implications of regime change in Iraq for the Chinese state's relations with the US, its handling of its own problems with terrorist organizations, its role within the UN, & its future relations with North Korean are also pondered. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd., copyright 2003.]