DOMINANT ANGLE
Beijing takes away from the episode the rift between Washington and its European allies: the Nobel Prize takes a back seat, the sanction against the ICC becomes the central object of the narrative.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The SCMP reports that the Trump administration sanctioned the ICC on Friday, just hours after one of its former judges won the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 02
According to CGTN, Guterres' spokesman Stéphane Dujarric speaks of a "severe blow" to international criminal justice and says the Secretary-General is "deeply alarmed".
- 03
Eight countries (Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, United Kingdom) have issued a joint statement opposing the sanctions, CGTN reports.
ANALYSIS
Beijing, October 10, 2026. In the two articles in the pool, the US sanction against the International Criminal Court takes center stage. The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to former judge Navi Pillay serves mainly as a chronological reference point.
The South China Morning Post opens with this rapprochement: the Donald Trump administration "imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Friday, just hours after" one of its former judges received the Nobel Peace Prize. The Hong Kong daily sees this as a gesture that puts Washington "on a collision course with its European allies". The Court denounces an "attack on the rule of law and the very foundations of the international legal order" and calls on its 125 member states to act. It adds: "The Court cannot be left alone."
CGTN, the international channel of Chinese public television, devotes its article to reactions. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is "deeply alarmed" by the expected impact of the sanctions on the Court as a whole, according to his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. He particularly mentions its ability to exercise its mandates, including those referred by the Security Council and by the States parties to the Rome Statute. He speaks of a "severe blow" to international criminal justice, of which the ICC is a pillar.
CGTN also reports the joint statement by the foreign ministers of eight countries: Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. They express their regret and strong opposition to the US announcement. The text highlights support for the independence of the Court and its officials.
The two media outlets therefore place Washington's isolation, vis-à-vis the UN and traditional allies, at the heart of the narrative. Neither of the two texts in the pool dwells on Navi Pillay's career, her work at the head of the UN commission of inquiry on Gaza, or the criticism of the choice by the Israeli government. The Nobel is mentioned as a temporal trigger, not as an object of analysis. These articles also do not contain any official Chinese commentary: Beijing's voice is conveyed through the choice of quotes and their hierarchy, with the UN and Western capitals at the forefront.
