China at the UN

Choking Civil Society

Bibliographic Data

ID6287098
AuthorsRana Siu Inboden (corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume32
Issue3
Pages124-135
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of democracy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1045-5736 • E-ISSN: 1086-3214
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/jod.2021.0038
OpenAlexW4240299720
LanguageEN
Citations received9

The Chinese government's crackdown on freedom of expression, independent thought, and civil society now extends beyond its borders. In the United Nations, the People's Republic of China (PRC) misuses its seat on the United Nations Economic and Social Council's Committee on Non-governmental Organizations (NGO Committee) to block applications from civil society organizations seeking UN consultative status. Consultative status enables NGOs to participate in UN activities, including hosting side events, gaining access to sessions, speaking at UN events and delivering statements. While the NGO Committee was originally created to facilitate civil society's participation within the UN, China (along with other authoritarian countries) have instead used it to restrict NGO access to the UN. Chinese diplomats not only block applications from NGOs working on human rights issues (including those focused on North Korea) but also enforce the one-China policy by asking applicants to explicitly recognize Tibet and Taiwan as integral parts of Chinese territory and resisting groups engaged in advocacy on Uyghur issues. In UN reports on the NGO Committee's deliberations and interviews with diplomats, UN officials and NGO representatives provide compelling evidence that Beijing seeks to contain NGOs and has worked with the Like-Minded Group (LMG), a coalition of authoritarian countries, to cap the role of civil society in the UN and bar many organizations from participation in this global body

Authoritarianism · Beijing · China · Civil society · Democracy · Economic growth · Government (linguistics · Human rights · Political science · Politics · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations · Korean Peninsula Historical and Political Studies · Law · Public Administration

Tools

Open DOI