China and U.S. Foreign Policy

A new report from the bipartisan House Select Committee on China warns that Beijing is leveraging its growing role in United Nations peacekeeping, its sharply increased financial contributions, and the placement of Chinese nationals in key UN posts to advance Chinese Communist Party strategic interests. Obtained ahead of its release, the report says Chinese troops are disproportionately deployed to missions in countries tied to Beijing’s economic priorities, highlighting South Sudan, where much of the oil is exported to China and Chinese state firms are major investors, as an example of how peacekeeping is used to "secure its national interests" under UN cover. The committee finds China’s share of the UN budget has risen from roughly 2% to more than 20% over two decades, giving it added leverage in budget talks and noting one dispute in which delayed Chinese funding coincided with disruptions to human‑rights investigations. It also flags China’s growing success in placing its nationals in senior UN jobs and its deployment of state‑linked nongovernmental organizations, or GONGOs, to inject political influence into UN processes. While the report does not accuse Beijing of violating UN rules, it argues China is systematically "exploiting" them to reshape global norms in ways that could undercut U.S. influence and priorities inside the UN system.