China presented a generous month ago of the peace initiative (you move to another service)which has received a poor reception, especially in the West.
Nevertheless, the paper is also on the table when the French president Emmanuel Macron and President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen are visiting China from Wednesday to meet the country’s leader Xi Jinping.
China persistently puts forward its ideas, which a long-time China researcher Lauri Paltemaa sees them as problematic because they try to promote China’s own interests.
According to Paltemaa, China’s thinking can be seen as supporting the old-fashioned thinking of the elite.
– It seems that China wants Russia and the United States to accept that Russia has its own interests. Paltemaa, who is a professor at the University of Turku, interprets the privileged circle where it can dictate the solutions of some other countries.
A similar front-line thinking would benefit China itself with, for example, Taiwan.
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China’s speeches have an audience in the Global South
China’s activity in turning peace in Europe can be seen as part of its strengthened international role.
This can also be seen in the UN. There, the country has tried to prevent the activities of certain non-governmental organizations, for example in the UN Economic and Social Council.
China has also found partners for its policy, especially in the so-called global south. The partnership between China and developing countries is reflected in the UN Human Rights Council, which specializes in the protection and promotion of human rights.
It is significant that China has an unusual understanding of human rights.
The country promotes human rights in the council, which are not individual, describes the program director Katja Creutz From the Foreign Policy Institute. China prefers to talk about development than human rights, and rather about the “right to a good life” than freedom of speech and democracy.
– According to China, no country has the right to act as a judge and criticize another country’s human rights practices, says Creutz.
– There are countries that think that China’s policies are good. In fact, in some cases China has succeeded in rallying more countries than the West or human rights defenders, Creutz says.
This has happened when human rights have been discussed critically in the Council.
The country was rebuffed from discussing its human rights violations in Xinjiang
China scored a major victory at the Human Rights Council last year when it rejected a resolution calling for an open debate on China’s human rights and how it operates in the Uyghur province of Xinjiang.
According to several international reports, China blatantly violates human rights in Xinjiang province inhabited by Uighurs, crimes against humanity are possibly taking place there. Uighurs are forced into “training camps” and information is collected on them, including facial expressions and voice samples. The Chinese surveillance system in Xinjiang has been studied in detail by, for example, the American journalist-writer Geoffrey Cain.
There are more and more representatives of China in the leadership positions of UN organizations
According to Creutz, there is nothing much to criticize about the statements concerning Ukraine in the work of the Human Rights Council. Already in 2014, the Council established an operation to monitor violations in the territories occupied by Russia. After Russia launched a full-scale attack in February last year, the Council reacted quickly and established a commission of inquiry to monitor human rights violations during the war. Extensive information has been collected about violations.
– I think the council has been able to function well in this difficult situation. But we will see how the division of countries into two opposing camps will affect the work of the Council in the future, Creutz reflects.
There are also more and more Chinese people in leadership positions in UN organizations. According to Katja Creutz, researchers are divided on how determinedly China is trying to increase its influence in the UN.
– There are researchers who consider this planned, says Creutz.
The big picture is about the competition between the United States and China
China’s actions are also a reaction to the fact that the United States has become active in stemming China’s rise, especially in the high-tech sector. In addition, the United States is strengthening its military presence in China’s neighboring regions. Recently, the Philippines announced that new US military bases will be established in the country.
– Both superpowers react to what the other has done. Such a circle has emerged, Paltemaa describes.
The United States seeks support especially from Europe, while China has received partners especially from the global south. This group includes countries from Africa, such as Eritrea and Egypt, as well as from Asia, for example Cambodia, and in Latin America, for example, Brazil and Venezuela.