The US thinks the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should stay as far away as possible from the broader Palestinian question, while Russia says the ICJ cannot coerce Israel by way of proceedings it chose not to participate in.
China thinks both are wrong - but would like to point out that self-determination is a limited right not automatically applicable to, say, minority ethnic groups within a sovereign state.
China appeared before the ICJ on Thursday, after Russia and the US spoke on Wednesday, to offer its arguments on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.