US ambassador to UN nominee Linda Thomas-Greenfield pledges to counter China’s ‘authoritarian agenda’
- Biden’s pick said she will counter China’s influence in the Security Council and resist its efforts to install Chinese nationals in key UN leadership positions
- She will also push for greater scrutiny of China’s development finance operations in Africa
“We know China is working across the UN system to drive an authoritarian agenda that stands in opposition to the founding values of the institution – American values,” Thomas-Greenfield told senators during a confirmation hearing. “Their success depends on our continued withdrawal. That will not happen on my watch.”
China in recent years installed a number of its own officials in leadership roles at the UN, including high ranking jobs at the International Telecommunication Union and the International Civil Aviation Organization, and its representatives frequently thwart resolutions via vetoes alongside Russia.
Thomas-Greenfield said China is seeking to insert its own “harmful” language into UN resolutions.
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Biden’s pick for UN ambassador pledges to counter China’s ‘authoritarian agenda’
As well as countering Beijing’s actions within the UN, Thomas-Greenfield said she would also work with leaders in Africa, where China is investing heavily in infrastructure projects, to “push back on China’s self-interested and parasitic development goals” in the continent.