China has put a hold on a proposal by India and the US to list Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Talha Saeed, son of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Hafiz Saeed, as a global terrorist at the United Nations Security Council. This is the second such move by China in two days and five in four months that China has put a hold on listing proposals to designate Pakistan-based terrorists under the 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee regime.

China on Tuesday put a hold on a similar proposal by India and the US to list another LeT operative, Shahid Mahmood, as a global terrorist. China’s move came even as UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres participated in a ceremony in Mumbai to pay tribute to victims of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 that were carried out by a 10-member team of the LeT. Guterres described terrorism as “absolute evil” and the Mumbai attacks as “barbaric”, and said all countries must collectively combat the menace.

Chinese ambassador Sun Weidong defended the country’s move by saying that the UN Security Council members have the right to use a “technical hold” on terrorist-listing applications under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee rules. China “needs more time to evaluate the relevant listing applications,” which it was doing in line with rules and procedures, he told reporters recently.

Since June, China has used the same measure to block India-US proposals to designate five men as global terrorists. In June this year, China put a hold, at the last moment, on a joint proposal by India and the US to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki. Then in August, China again put a hold on a proposal to blacklist the senior leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) Abdul Rauf Azhar. In September China blocked another proposal to blacklist LeT operative Sajid Mir.