"Chinese influence is on the rise within the United Nations system. Qu Dongyu became director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization this month, raising the number of Chinese nationals leading a U.N. specialized agency to four.
This trend is concerning, because China is not a benign force internationally. It is seeking to shift the values, programs and policies of the U.N. in ways that benefit Chinese priorities and ideology and that undermine the values and practices that have underpinned the international system for decades...
As Chinese influence has grown, so has its ability to assert policies at odds with American interests or designed to blunt U.N. mechanisms deemed troublesome or problematic by China. For instance, China has used its veto to block U.N. Security Council resolutions only 12 times since 1971, when the United Nations recognized the People's Republic of China as the official government. All but three of those vetoes occurred since 2007. Moreover, those vetoes were cast to protect repressive governments in Burma, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe from U.N. sanctions and condemnation for their abuses...
The U.S. must take strategic steps to ensure that Chinese influence is reasonably contained and its leadership restricted and channeled to the parts of the organization that do not directly undermine U.S. interests. This requires a broad, comprehensive, long-term strategy based on a detailed assessment of Chinese interests and tactics, promoting U.S. and like-minded leadership in key international organizations, promoting U.S. employment in international organizations, and applying U.S. pressure purposefully and judiciously.