Washington, July 23 (IANS) China’s expanding influence within the United Nations emerged as a major concern during a Congressional hearing, with senior Trump administration officials and lawmakers warning that Beijing is using the international organisation to advance its strategic, military and technological interests.
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on United Nations reform on Wednesday (local time), US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Washington was actively working to counter China’s growing presence in key UN agencies and standard-setting bodies, arguing that the United States could not afford to disengage from institutions that shape global rules.
“We have to get in there and fight and win,” Waltz told lawmakers.
He said the battle for influence extended well beyond diplomacy and into specialised UN agencies that establish international standards governing intellectual property, telecommunications, aviation and maritime affairs.
“There are these global standard-setting bodies, these little baby UN agencies that many people have never heard of, that set the rules of the road for our industries around the world,” Waltz said.
As an example, he cited the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), where the United States backed a Singaporean candidate instead of a Chinese nominee to lead the agency responsible for global intellectual property standards.
He also pointed to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), describing it as critical because it sets standards for “cables, spectrum, radio” and other technologies central to the global economy.
“We’re running now an American for re-election to set those rules of the road,” Waltz said.
Republican lawmakers repeatedly raised concerns that Beijing was leveraging both financial contributions and peacekeeping operations to expand its geopolitical reach.
Representative Scott Perry argued that China’s Belt and Road Initiative had become intertwined with several UN agencies, alleging that Beijing was using international institutions to advance debt diplomacy and build political influence across the developing world.
Responding to the concerns, Waltz said the administration had demanded that the UN Secretariat stop using a trust fund associated with China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
“We’ve demanded the UN Secretariat stop using that slush fund,” he said.
He added that Washington had also increased transparency over aid funding to ensure greater oversight of how resources were being spent.
Representative Sheri Biggs questioned whether China’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations also served broader military objectives.
China is currently the largest troop contributor among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and the second-largest financial contributor to the organisation.
Asked whether Beijing was using peacekeeping deployments for intelligence gathering and strategic positioning, Waltz replied: “I don’t think for a second that they don’t serve a dual purpose as eyes and ears on the ground for the Chinese Communist Party.”
While declining to discuss intelligence assessments in an open hearing, he acknowledged the administration was closely monitoring China’s activities within peacekeeping missions.
“We are keeping a very close eye on all of those dimensions,” Waltz said.
He nevertheless acknowledged that Chinese peacekeeping contingents often contributed useful capabilities to UN operations.
“They are often better equipped than many of the other countries… but they can serve a dual purpose, and we are very wide-eyed to that issue.”
Jeffrey Bartos, US Representative for UN Management and Reform for the US Department of State, said the United States remained underrepresented within the UN bureaucracy relative to its financial contributions and stressed the importance of placing more Americans in leadership positions across the organisation.
“Our allies have a choice… when we do step in there and provide leadership, we have meaningful impacts across the system,” Bartos said.
The hearing also highlighted bipartisan concern over modernising the United Nations, although lawmakers differed sharply over whether that should be achieved through deeper engagement or by reducing funding and forcing institutional reforms.
China has steadily expanded its footprint across the UN system over the past two decades, increasing both financial contributions and representation in specialised agencies. Beijing has also sought greater influence over international standards governing technology, telecommunications, development finance and global trade.
–IANS
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