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Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the United Nations, writes in a Foundation for Defence of Democracies report that the US “must stand up to our adversaries, unmistakably and unapologetically”. Photo: AFP

Ex-US ambassador Nikki Haley says China is ‘quietly working to corrupt the United Nations from top to bottom’

  • Haley, who served in the Trump administration, writes: ‘Beijing is pursuing control of virtually every UN agency’
  • A think tank’s report recommends the US work with like-minded nations and wage reform battles on an agency-by-agency basis

The United States has accused rival countries, including China, of manipulating and exploiting international organisations to advance their own interests at the cost of the US, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The report by the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank, pointed at countries whose national interests went against the US, notably China and Russia.

In the report titled “A Better Blueprint for International Organisations”, Nikki Haley, a US ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, said in its foreword that the US “must stand up to our adversaries, unmistakably and unapologetically”.

“We should stand by our friends, boldly and bravely. And we must stand for our principles, confidently and clearly,” said Haley, who said some countries were using the UN to their own advantage and for “evil purposes”.

Besides mentioning Russia’s past vetoes of US-led resolutions, Haley said the US must also be wary of Communist China. “Like Russia, Beijing uses its seat on the Security Council to block justified and moral measures,” she said.

“China is quietly working to corrupt the United Nations from top to bottom. Beijing is pursuing control of virtually every UN agency. Its actions are malicious and often disastrous,” said Haley, adding that she had “lost track of how many countries expressed their fear of China’s bullying”.

US agency urges UN to investigate alleged rights abuses in China

Richard Goldberg, a former US National Security Council staff member, said China and Russia used their permanent-member vetoes freely, and cautioned that China pursued a sophisticated, multipronged strategy to exploit international organisations.

“Beijing’s power and influence within the UN system has grown dramatically in recent years, with China winning elections to lead four of the 15 UN specialised agencies, gaining seats on international tribunals and councils, joining the UN Board of Auditors and deploying more troops to peacekeeping missions,” Goldberg wrote.

The report’s 11 chapters detail urgent challenges to US national security interests posed by a cross-section of international organisations, including the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization and the UN Human Rights Council.

The report recommends the US work with like-minded nations and wage reform battles on an agency-by-agency basis towards restoring a US-led international order.

Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert from China’s Renmin University, said the US was more closely aligned with developed countries, a group outnumbered by developing nations. He said the American approach was flawed if Washington’s goal was wider support.

“Although the resolution is not legally binding, the limited support the US gets from the UN member countries would make them lose face, which is the core reason the US would not have a long-lasting interest in the UN and its satellite agencies,” Shi said.

US to counter China’s ‘malign’ influence on United Nations, says senior official

Liu Weidong, a US affairs specialist from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, agreed. “If the US really supports multilateralism, then Washington should accept the choices made by most countries, instead of pushing forward their own decisions,” Liu said.

He said the US was likely to withdraw from international organisations in future if Washington believed it could not play a leadership role.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: US accuses Beijing of exploiting UN bodies
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