Conference Presentation, Other
China v America: who is in charge?
- The UN General Assembly held an online summit pledging billions for a coronavirus vaccine, explicitly excluding officials from the Trump administration.
- The Trump administration has halted funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) and withdrew from the Paris Agreement, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
- Former President Trump stated, "The future does not belong to globalists... The future belongs to patriots," signaling a shift from international leadership to nationalism.
- Since 1945, the UN has grown from 51 to 193 member states, yet the U.S. role as its chief architect and leader has diminished under recent administrations.
- China's contribution to the UN regular budget has risen from 1% to 12% over the past two decades, while the U.S. contribution has remained static.
- Chinese nationals currently lead four of the UN's 15 specialized agencies, compared to one led by an American.
- While the U.S. used its Security Council veto regularly during the Cold War, it has used it only three times in the past decade.
- Conversely, China has increasingly utilized its veto power and is described as forming an "alliance of convenience" with Russia to shield authoritarian practices from Western scrutiny.
- In March 2018, China successfully lobbied Ivory Coast to switch its vote, preventing a UN Security Council briefing on human rights abuses in Syria from being adopted.
- Chinese officials have been inserted into UN processes to favor specific wording, including phrases like "win-win cooperation" and references to the Belt and Road Initiative.
- Beyond the UN, China has established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to rival the World Bank and created the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, including Russia, India, and Pakistan.
- The U.S. State Department appointed Mark Lambert in January as a senior diplomat specifically tasked with countering China's "malign influence" at the UN.
- Experts warn that without U.S. reassertion of global commitments, the rules-based liberal order faces significant risk, potentially endangering human rights advocacy.
- Future reform of 75-year-old UN structures is considered necessary for a 21st-century world, potentially requiring a crisis to catalyze modernization.
- A shift in U.S. leadership, such as the election of a new president, could restore interest in outward global engagement, though institutional reform remains a prerequisite for effectiveness.