US withdrawal from draft on ICC "not a bad message," says China

Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Wang Guangya said Wednesday at the United Nations that the decision of the United States to abandon its bid to renewal exemption from the International Criminal Court (ICC) "is not a bad message."

Wang told reporters after a closed meeting of the UN Security Council that the US withdrawal avoided "a show down" in the 15-member council which has been badly decided on the same issue over the past two years.

US Deputy Ambassador James Cunningham said earlier in a statement to the press that his government decided to abandon its bid to renew the immunity of US peacekeepers from prosecution by the ICC because of lack of support. "We are dropping action on this resolution," he said.