. Military Space News .
SUPERPOWERS
As US pulls back, China builds influence at UN
By Philippe Rater with AFP bureaus
United Nations, United States (AFP) April 17, 2020

As President Donald Trump announces a halt in World Health Organization funding, accusing it of kowtowing to China over the coronavirus outbreak, Beijing is building on a well-established strategy of leveraging its global standing wherever the US lets go of the wheel.

For years, Chinese nationals have been taking up positions at the head of and lower down UN agencies as the Asian powerhouse ploughs considerable resources into building on its international financial and military relationships.

China's long game on global influence is particularly apparent in Africa, where 10 years ago the continent's debt to the world's number two economy was minimal.

Today, a UN official said, it stands at some $140 billion as Beijing ramps up investments through the Belt and Road Initiative, President Xi Jinping's signature global infrastructure project.

Beijing's overtures have placed it in a powerful position to leverage African support on various issues and at international agencies.

Led by Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO is accused by Washington of uncritically accepting China's early assertions that the virus was not spread between humans and of wrongly praising Beijing's "transparency" over the magnitude of the crisis.

"What we have seen for more than 10 years, and especially since 2012 with Xi Jinping, is a real push from Chinese diplomacy to restructure global governance," Alice Ekman, the senior analyst in charge of the Asia portfolio at the European Union Institute for Security Studies, told AFP.

"It's a lofty ambition since China is talking about 'piloting' this restructuring."

The same phenomenon -- the US withdrawing and China making its mark, but never directly -- is notable at several UN agencies.

Along with its availability for an increasing number of peacekeeping missions, Beijing has become the second largest financial contributor to the UN, overtaking Japan but behind the US.

Away from the UN's activities directed from its New York headquarters, China has wielded its financial clout in the organization's many agencies worldwide, including UNESCO in Paris.

Washington's retreat since 2019 from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, over alleged bias against Israel, came as China was increasing its influence to become the agency's largest compulsory net contributor.

Beijing has a strong presence in programs for the education of women and girls, and the second highest official at UNESCO, Xing Qu, is Chinese.

"They have succeeded in finding a balance -- being very present without imposing," an official told AFP, on condition of anonymity so that they could speak frankly.

- Void -

For many UN officials across the world, the void left by the withdrawal of some of the most influential players on the international stage spells danger ahead for the organization.

"With the US not leading internationally, with Europe disappearing into itself and China pursuing its own interests, we really are in trouble," Catia Batista, associate professor of economy at Nova University in Lisbon, told The Washington Post.

Chinese has also flexed its muscle at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) based in Montreal.

In 2019 Qu Dongyu, a former Chinese minister, became the head of the FAO, while ICAO has been co-managed since 2015 by another Chinese official, Fang Liu.

Beijing's influence is "real and growing" at ICAO, which governs global air transport, a specialist close to the agency said.

The source said Beijing is now the second-highest financial contributor to ICAO after Washington.

Since last year Washington has suspended financial contributions to ICAO in an attempt to accelerate reform.

But while US officials use their contributions for leverage, the tactic is not part of a broader attempt to abandon the UN as a whole, the source says.

At UNESCO a similar leverage of US cash for influence has not led to revolutionary reform -- but it remains to be seen how Trump's suspension of funding will affect the WHO.

In Vienna, major Western powers have shown little interest in the UN Industrial Development Organization, a small agency which aims to promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

Eyeing an opportunity, China has used this apathy to use UNIDO as a stepping stone for its ascent in other UN agencies.

Another former Chinese minister, Li Yong, has been UNIDO's director general since its establishment 2013.

As for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Washington is the lead financial contributor, ahead of China.

The US says it has not lost influence despite the pullout by Trump from the 2015 accord reached between major powers and Iran over its nuclear program.

In reality, China is now in the driving seat, with Russia and the Europeans also taking up positions of influence.

"After the election of Donald Trump, China strengthened its position as a guarantor of multilateralism," Ekman said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic was another chance for Beijing to "invest in global governance in all directions."

Ekman described China's approach as a "pragmatic and global" strategy in which the WHO is "just one institution among many."

"In the long run, China would like to see the advent of post-Western global governance, in which China would play a central role," she added.


Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


SUPERPOWERS
China denies seeking virus praise from Germany
Beijing (AFP) April 13, 2020
Beijing denied Monday that it was soliciting praise for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic following a report that Chinese representatives tried to earn kudos from German officials. China has faced criticism abroad - notably in the United States - over the outbreak that first emerged in the central city of Wuhan late last year. It has sent aid to European countries in recent weeks, a move seen as a charm offensive to deflect blame for the pandemic. Citing a confidential foreign minis ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

SUPERPOWERS
Russia positions S-500 as game changer for missile defense

Iran warns US after Patriot deployment to Iraq

US deploys Patriot air defence system to Iraq

Lockheed awarded $932.8M to make THAADs for U.S., Saudi Arabia

SUPERPOWERS
General Dynamics nabs $55.9M to make missile tubes for U.S., Britain

Lockheed nabs $818.2M to produce JASSMs for Air Force, allies

Raytheon awarded $641.3M for work on Tomahawks for Navy

Raytheon nabs $2.1B for work on Standard Missile-3 Block IB rounds

SUPERPOWERS
American Manufacturers Swift Tactical Systems and Silvus Technologies Announce Strategic Alliance

Observing the atmosphere at high altitudes using unmanned aerial vehicles

Citadel Defense Launches New AI and Machine Learning Software to Detect and Defeat Air, Land, and Sea Drones

Sky Sapience introduces tethered UAV platform HoverMast

SUPERPOWERS
US Space Force pens $1B in contracts for unjammable modems

AEHF-6 Satellite Actively Communicating With U.S. Space Force

AEHF-6 satellite completes protected satellite constellation

Sixth Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite ready for launch

SUPERPOWERS
Underminer demos feasibility of rapidly constructed logistics tunnels

AFRL creates safer-than-steel synthetic winch cable for cargo aircraft

Amid COVID-19 hurdles, AFRL develops "jump kits" to rapidly enable operations

Bechtel awarded $1.2B to destroy mustard weapons at Pueblo plant

SUPERPOWERS
NATO needs to protect strategic industries: Stoltenberg

Coronavirus challenges US military machine

DoD urges defense contractors, subcontractors to stay at work

Lockheed Martin names new CEO

SUPERPOWERS
Russia postpones Red Square victory parade over coronavirus

Russian veterans urge Putin to postpone WWII parade over virus

Trump freezes WHO funds as world weighs easing lockdown

Putin, Xi push back on virus claims; Macron: things 'happened we don't know about'

SUPERPOWERS
Magnetic nanoparticles help researchers remotely release adrenal hormones

New DNA origami motor breaks speed record for nano machines

Deep-sea osmolyte makes biomolecular machines heat-tolerant









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.