US to raise Uygur issue at UN as China’s influence grows
- Diplomats warn American leadership is waning ahead of next week’s gathering of world leaders
Some diplomats are warning that China’s influence is growing as US leadership wanes in global institutions. While the US is the largest financial contributor to the UN budget, US President Donald Trump has questioned the value of multilateralism as he focuses on an “America First” policy and touts the protection of US sovereignty.
Trump’s first UN envoy, Nikki Haley, stepped down at the end of 2018, and was replaced just last week by Kelly Craft, whose foreign policy experience pales in comparison to that of her veto-wielding Security Council counterparts from Russia, China, France and Britain.
“China is taking advantage in the UN of the relative antagonistic, critical attitude of the USA towards the UN itself, and is occupying spaces and projecting influence much more than before,” said a senior European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the United States would seek support during the high-level UN gathering next week in calling out China’s detention policy in Xinjiang, where the UN says at least 1 million ethnic Uygurs and other Muslims have been detained.