Trump administration pokes panda over UN population policy

Washington poked the panda on Tuesday, publicly criticizing the legacy of Beijing’s now-defunct one-child policy, and triggering a sharp Chinese rebuttal accusing the United States of risking millions of lives with its steep aid cuts. Speaking at a meeting of the executive board of three United Nations agencies — the U.N. Population Fund, the U.N. Development Programme, and the U.N. Office for Project Services — U.S. diplomat Jonathan Shrier urged the U.N.’s reproductive health agency to halt its partnership with China, saying “UNFPA should not be complicit in China’s population control.” Shrier also chided the aid agency for devoting “precious” funding resources to a technical assistance program for “the second largest economy in the world.” “Millions of families suffered under China’s abhorrent population control,” Shrier told the diplomatic gathering. “Generations of women were subject to barbaric forced abortions and involuntary sterilization and continue to suffer from the harm of this excruciating legacy.” Shrier formally reminded the board of a recent U.S. decision to invoke U.S. legislation, the Kemp-Kasten Amendment, a 1985 law co-sponsored by former Sen. Bob Kasten and former Rep. Jack Kemp, which bars U.S. funds from being used by any organization that supports coercive abortions or involuntary sterilization. Numerous reviews of UNFPA activities in China, including a 2002 State Department assessment, determined that the population fund did not support coercive programs in China. In 2023, the Biden administration contributed more than $160 million to UNFPA, representing some 11% of its $1.45 billion budget. The remarks suggested that the Trump administration is keen to use the U.N. as a stage for its increasingly bitter public spat with China over a range of issues, from a blossoming trade war and determining responsibility for the COVID-19 pandemic. But Washington’s delegate first drew a pointed response from UNFPA’s executive director, Dr. Natalia Kanem, who said the U.S. decision to withhold funding to UNFPA is “based on unfounded claims about UNFPA’s work that have long been disproved, including by the U.S. government itself, and in fact, all countries everywhere.” “UNFPA opposes coercive practice; this is why we emphasize rights and choices,” she added, defending her agency’s China program, which was approved by the United States. “We do not participate and are not complicit in forced sterilization, coerced abortion, and we continue to speak out against instances of such human rights abuses.” Shortly after, Beijing’s envoy to the United Nations, Sun Lei, took to the floor, saying, “China firmly rejects the baseless accusations by the U.S. delegation against China’s population and development policy.” “The U.S. pursues unilateralism, tramples on multilateralism, and stops and withdraws funding,” he added, “It is no position to criticize or accuse others.” At the moment, he said, “U.N. and multilateral agencies face financial difficulties, single-handedly, due to the actions from the U.S. U.S. policies have led to millions of civilians, including women and children, leaving them unable to receive aid from the aid agencies, risking their lives and their survival. “China urges the U.S. to rectify its wrong words and deeds and to stop obstructing UNFPA cooperation with China,” he added.