Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, on Wednesday did not hold back in her criticism of China’s involvement at the international body.
In testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Thomas-Greenfield repeatedly agreed with lawmakers who characterized China as a “malign” or “predatory” actor at the U.N. Her testimony occasionally drew praise from Republicans. Thomas-Greenfield vowed that President Joe Biden’s administration intends to challenge Beijing over wielding multilateral influence, including by advocating for “like-minded” candidates within U.N. leadership posts.
“We are making every effort to fight against Beijing’s malign influence in the United Nations,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
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She cited three technical agencies of the U.N. that are currently led by Chinese nationals: the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration strongly opposed China’s candidate for FAO — with one official document describing an effort to beat him as “our primary objective” — but failed to convince other countries to follow suit.
“We don’t have to control these organizations ourselves. It’s not always necessary to put an American there. But it is necessary for us to push for like-minded countries, for allies, to support the efforts of people who believe in the values of the United Nations system, because it’s clear the Chinese do not,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
She also said the U.S. government should fund more junior professional officer positions at the U.N. to increase the ranks of American staffers — a strategy that China currently employs.
Rep. Ann Wagner, a Republican from Missouri, asked Thomas-Greenfield about the “more than 30 U.N. entities” that had signed cooperation agreements related to China’s Belt and Road Initiative as of September, referring to the sprawling infrastructure program as “a predatory economic program aimed at extending China’s influence.”
Recent analysis of China’s debt contracts paints a more complex picture of Chinese lenders that are aggressive and nontransparent but not altogether different from other commercial lenders.
“We’re pushing back in New York with those agencies who have signed agreements with the Chinese, because we think it’s unacceptable that they’ve signed such agreements,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
“We’re working with many of these small countries who are under tremendous coercion by the Chinese,” she added.
“We are making every effort to fight against Beijing’s malign influence in the United Nations.”
— Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United NationsAmong those that have signaled their cooperation with China on its infrastructure initiative are the United Nations Development Programme, FAO, and UNICEF.
Biden has characterized the international arena as an existential contest between democratic and authoritarian states, and Thomas-Greenfield’s remarks made clear the administration views the U.N. as one place that contest will unfold. She repeatedly argued it is better for the U.S. to be present at the table, even among adversaries, than to walk away from it.
In addition to countering China’s influence, Thomas-Greenfield discussed a need to secure humanitarian access to Syria by authorizing cross-border operations, the next steps for global COVID-19 vaccination support from the U.S., and the recent, heavily criticized decision to appoint Syria to the World Health Organization’s executive board.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
