Using its financial muscle, the People’s Republic of China has developed a powerful sway over the United Nations that explains the lack of attention from the organization on the West Philippine Sea conflict.
China is expected to block efforts by the Philippines to win a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC), which would provide the latter diplomatic leverage in the maritime tensions.
As a permanent member of the UNSC, Beijing has the power to veto votes favoring the Philippines.
The stand of the Philippines on multilateralism that Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo stressed before the United Nations General Assembly last Sunday did not sit well with China.
The Asian giant is moving mountains to realign the UN agenda to give more weight to the primacy of states against multilateralism through a “shared future” global governance vision.
Beijing has been using UN structures and rules and exercising its power within the UN system, including as a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, to push its campaign.
Manalo’s address showed the Philippines is trying to counter China’s bid. He said the Philippines “has emphasized that the rule of law and the integrity of the multilateral system must prevail amid the current global challenges.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has affirmed that “multilateralism remains the single viable platform for collective action against transcendent global challenges.”
“The Philippines is making positive headway in its campaign for the UNSC, secure in our proven track record of being a dependable partner, pathfinder and peacemaker in world affairs, with eight decades of multilateral diplomacy experience as a founding member of the UN and having previously sat in the UNSC four times,” said Manalo of the country’s pursuit of a Security Council seat.
A seat in the UNSC will afford the Philippines stronger diplomatic leverage in countering the growing influence of China in the UN.
Even if all its efforts suffer from China’s veto power, the Philippines will still be able to show to the world China’s irresponsible actions in the West Philippine Sea.
China has used its financial clout to push its objectives in the UN.
It committed a fifth of the UN peacekeeping standby force, pledged $1 billion over a decade towards the China-UN Peace and Development Fund, and has risen as the second largest funder of the UN regular budget.
Beijing’s Belt and Road Memoranda of Understanding signed by various UN agencies provided the UN imprimatur on the economic initiative.
China is currently the only state to lead more than one of the 15 UN specialized agencies which is considered a natural process.
The emerging superpower has made full use of its veto power in the UNSC on global conflicts to establish its growing geopolitical strength.
Beijing recognizes the UN as indispensable to its goal to redesign the global governance that will veer away from the multilateralism that the organization represents.
Through its voting power, financial commitments and personnel contributions, Beijing established a foothold in shaping the UN system from within.
It took full advantage of existing UN structures and rules to further its diplomatic priorities.
Pursuing a national interest in the UN is a natural course but the pursuit of an agenda with the aim of regional domination needs to be countered.
The Philippines can borrow from its strategy in the WPS of seeking the help of powerful allies to demand that China recognize international norms.
In many cases, such as in the Middle East conflict where the UN has shown its anti-Israel bias, the multilateral organization has been shown to fall to the seduction of financial rewards.