How China is changing - and being changed by - the UN

China’s growing clout in the world economy is being matched ever more closely by its rising influence over major international institutions — none more so than the United Nations. For several years now, Chinese leaders have extolled the UN’s virtues as the most authoritative multilateral body in world affairs. But more recently it has taken action to back its rhetoric, becoming the second-biggest contributor to the UN’s financial coffers. Chinese citizens have also taken several leading roles in UN organisations.

Yet China’s growing presence in the UN has come during a period when the institution’s focus has shifted in ways that seem to run counter to Beijing’s interests and beliefs, for example in the UN’s increased willingness to intervene within countries to resolve conflict or protect human rights.

Meanwhile China’s actions at the UN, for example in vetoing several attempts to put more pressure on the government in war-torn Syria, have drawn heavy criticism from major Western powers, and raised questions about whether its approach to international relations conflicts with the UN’s developing conception of its own role in global affairs.

To help unpick and explain some of these issues we are joined by Professor Rosemary Foot, a senior research fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford. Rosemary’s new book, ‘China, the UN, and Human Protection’, offers a superb analysis of China and its approach to the UN. We will also hear insights from Courtney Fung, an associate professor in International Relations at the University of Hong Kong who also written and researched extensively on China’s role at the UN.