China Circumspect After International Court Ruling on Israel

FILE - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on Aug. 24, 2023. China on Jan. 29, 2024, voiced cautious support for an international court's ruling in South Africa's genocide case against Israel.

In a carefully worded response this week, China voiced its support of the U.N.’s International Court of Justice, or ICJ, ruling that orders Israel to desist from the killing of Palestinians in Gaza. Experts tell VOA that privately China has reservations about the use of such courts to deal with allegations of genocide, which could have awkward implications for Beijing.