After months of near total apathy, China has decided - finally - to abandon its "no comment" diplomacy and join forces with the other powers in the United Nations Security Council (France, Russia and Germany) in a collective effort to put an end to the US occupation of Iraq.
Last week, China's foreign minister stated that his country would support a new resolution "provided that the UN is allowed a key role in the reconstruction of Iraq with a clear timetable for a quick transfer of power to the Iraqi people". This statement by China's chief of diplomacy marked the end of two years of almost total indifference towards the situation in the Middle East.