Personnel Power Shift? China’s Representation in the UN Civil Service

• In Event: Reshaping the Liberal Order: Strategies of Contestation and Change

Abstract

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) views dispatching Chinese talent to international organizations as a key global governance contribution and a means to shape these institutions from within in line with its preferences. PRC officials understand these posts are competitive to secure, requiring a concerted effort to place candidates for entry-level professional staff positions. However, less is known about how China is preparing to compete for these international civil service billets and what efforts China is pursuing to secure these positions. This article examines United Nations (UN) staffing data, as well as Chinese-language academic, policy and media reports extracted from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database to address this research gap and thereby understand better how China is attempting to facilitate an increase in its staffing levels within UN entities. We find that China’s efforts to increase staff numbers are still in development, as reflected in policy and academic debate about how best to promote Chinese representation in international civil servant positions. It remains to be seen whether staffing power shifts will be successful and, if so, the extent to which increased representation will benefit China’s interests.

Authors

• Shing-hon Lam, University of California, Los Angeles

• Courtney Fung, University of Hong Kong