'Only complicating the issue': China says US undermining UN over resolution on Masood Azhar

China on Thursday accused the United States of undermining the authority of the UN anti-terrorism committee by “forcefully moving” a resolution in the UNSC to list Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, saying America's move only "complicates" the issue.

The US, supported by France and the UK, has moved a draft resolution in the UN Security Council to blacklist the Pakistan-based terror group's chief, two weeks after China put a hold on a proposal to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council.

Asked about the development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing that Washington move only complicates the issue.

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"This is not in line with resolution of the issue through dialogue and negotiations. This has reduced the authority of the Committee as a main anti-terrorism body of the UNSC and this is not conducive to the solidarity and only complicates the issue.

"We urge the US to act cautiously and avoid forcefully moving forward this resolution draft," Geng said.

Two weeks after China put a “technical hold” on a proposal to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council, the US on Wednesday circulated the draft resolution to the powerful 15-nation Council to blacklist of the Pakistan-based terror group and subject him to a travel ban, an assets freeze and an arms embargo.

Meanwhile, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo made an apparent reference to China blocking the proposal to designate Azhar as a global terrorist at the UN Security Council when he said on Wednesday that China abuses over a million Muslims at home, but “protects” violent Islamic terror groups from UN sanctions.

"The world cannot afford China’s shameful hypocrisy towards Muslims. On one hand, China abuses more than a million Muslims at home, but on the other it protects violent Islamic terrorist groups from sanctions at the UN,” Pompeo said in a tweet, without mentioning the Jaish or the outfit’s chief.

As per US sources, this is the “first time” the US, the UK and France have moved a draft resolution directly in the Security Council to designate Azhar as a global terrorist. The previous have been listing proposals in the sanctions committee of the Council to designate Azhar.