Rosetta tragedy fresh reminder of interventionist policies of West: Chinese media

In the aftermath of the death of around 300 people due to the sinking of an overloaded ship off Egypt's Mediterranean city of Rosetta, Chinese media has blamed the interventionist policies of the West for the tragedy.

"A multitude of reasons may be given as to what caused the wars and the poverty, from which these migrants were fleeing but the West cannot shirk their responsibility for this," said a commentary in the state-owned Xinhua.

The commentary said that colonial rule by Western powers in past centuries and their interventionist policies in recent decades both played a part.

It added that the euphoric atmosphere permeating Washington and other Western capitals at the start of the "Arab Spring" five years ago has long been replaced by hand-wringing in the face of bloodshed, chaos, and misery from Syria to Iraq to Libya, and the terror attacks that filled news headlines so often around the world.

"In a few hours, the foreign ministers of the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union are scheduled to gather at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, United States, which is a far cry from the turbulent Mediterranean seas," it said.

But the wars in the Middle East and the refugee crisis gripping the region are the top of the agenda when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets his five counterparts.

"It is high time that the United States and other Western countries reflected upon their flawed interventionist policies that often featured imposition of their values and sought regime changes," it said adding that it is high time that the West took constructive actions.

They have a moral obligation and historical responsibility to do so.