Outside In | US paranoia over Chinese heads of UN bodies fails to recognise China’s genuine desire for international engagement
- The American push against China’s candidate for the top job at the World Intellectual Property Organisation betrayed US disquiet over Chinese influence in international organisations
- China, however, sees this as part of its re-engagement with the international community and has worked hard to learn and comply with regulations
Wipo is one of at least 15 massive agencies set up by Western powers when the ashes of World War II were still warm, which set the rules for a range of economic activity. These United Nations-affiliated organisations include the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organisation, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Civil Aviation Authority, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the International Labour Organisation, Interpol and the International Court of Justice.
The UN’s revenue, which goes towards running these organisations and other programmes, was US$53 billion in 2017, with most funding coming from the UN’s 193 members. Wipo is an exception in that most of its funds come from the money companies pay to have their new ideas patented.
From the UN’s origins, Washington has taken a close interest in the family of UN organisations. Their regulations were largely moulded around a US model and the US provided most of their funding – about 22 per cent in 2017.
