What Accounts for China’s Evolution Regarding Its Unpkos?

What accounts for China’s evolution regarding its UNPKOs?

In the past, China was regarded as a reluctant supporter of UN’s affairs. However, after it starts to involve in global economy, it has changed its role in the United Nations and become more active in the UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKOs). Therefore, this essay will mainly analyze the reason behind China’s evolution regarding its UNPKOs.

There are several reasons driving China to increase its involvement in the UN’s affairs. Firstly, it results from a demand of a major foreign policy shift due to the change of domestic environment. With the end of Mao’s era and closed-door policy, the economic reform push China’s economy towards a market-oriented and more opening direction (Pang, 2005:90). Therefore, China realized that it should adopt a new foreign policy pathway in order to adapt changing realities, and be more active in participating UN’s affairs, which reflect China’s more functional and less ideological awareness. Secondly, it stems from the need to balance the power of the U.S. in international system. The end of the Cold War brought the concern regarding unipolarity that only the United State remains the hegemonic power in IRs (Pang, 2005:90), thus China as a stunning socialist country started to increase its activities in the UN although it was still worried about the Western-dominated intervention under UN banner.  Thirdly, as one of the permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China’s voice is gradually valued by the UN due to its expanding influence. For example, the Brahimi Report in 2001 was regarded as a Chinese initiative because it responded China’s concerns that regularly constrained the use of military to protect the mission, under a clear mandate to restrict the role of pivotal states, and attempted to address the main causes of conflict (Stähle, 2008:649). Thus, UN’s welcome make China become more comfortable to participate in more UN’s affairs.

As one of the permanent members of UN Security (UNSC), China has shown its pragmatism on the issues regarding international peace and security. China sticks to its guiding principle adhering to the national sovereignty and non-interference. In addition, its veto right in the UNSC is regarded as a stabilizing mechanism for the international system (Lei, 2014:5). Based on the voting record of China in the UNSC, China is reluctant to involve more in dealing with global crisis. China from 1991 to 2005 had abstained 51 Security Council resolutions in total (Lei, 2014:5). These abstained voting records not only demonstrate its pragmatism, but also a way to express its discontent with specific resolutions by abstention votes. Furthermore, China’s voting behavior in the UNSC show its ability to interpret UNPKO principles, and to adapt its position to changing realties. In 1993, China started to agree the use of military force if it was limited to defend the peacekeepers and their freedom of movement, and protect civilians who were under imminent threat (Stähle, 2008:648). Then, in 1995, China agreed to subcontract peace enforcement tasks to regional alliances (Stähle, 2008:654). In addition, the Brahimi Report in 2000 concerned China’s advocates, thus earned China’s affirmative vote to support interventions to protect human rights if obtained the consent from the target country.