China and The United Nations - The People's Republic of China in The UN

The People's Republic of China in The UN

The PRC was admitted into the UN in 1971. This was the 21st time there was a vote on the PRC's admittance. The U.S. proposed a motion to expel the PRC, which required a two-thirds vote, but it failed and the PRC was admitted into the UN on a vote of 76 in favor, 35 opposed, and 17 abstentions.

There was wide speculation throughout the 1960s and early 1970s that the United States' close ally, Pakistan, especially under the presidency of Ayub Khan, was carrying out undercover diplomacy to instigate Western support to the PRC's entry into the UN. This involved secret visits by American officials to the PRC. In 1971, Henry Kissinger made a secret visit to the PRC through Pakistan.

As of June 2012 the PRC had used its Security Council veto eight times, fewer than other countries with the veto: in 1972 to veto the admission of Bangladesh (which it considered a rebellious province of its ally Pakistan), in 1973 (in conjunction with the Soviet Union) to veto a resolution on the ceasefire in the Yom Kippur War, in 1997 to veto ceasefire observers to Guatemala (which accepted the ROC as legitimate), in 1999 to veto an extension of observers to the Republic of Macedonia (same), in 2007 (in conjunction with Russia) to veto criticizing Myanmar (Burma) on its human rights record, in 2008 (with Russia) to veto sanctions against Zimbabwe, in 2011 (with Russia) to veto sanctions against Syria, and in February 2012 (with Russia) to veto for the second time a draft resolution calling for foreign military intervention in Syria.

As of June 2012 the PRC had sent 3,362 military personnel to 13 UN peacekeeping operations since its first dispatch of military observers to the United Nations peacekeeping operations in 1990. In 1999 it sent a team of civilian police to East Timor as part of the UN force there. The PRC sent a non-combatant military team to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Since the end of the Cold War, the PRC has notably not attempted to use the UN as a counterbalance against the United States as Russia and France have done. In the 1991 Gulf War resolution, the PRC abstained, and it voted for the ultimatum to Iraq in the period leading up to the 2003 War in Iraq. Most observers believe that the PRC would have abstained had a resolution authorising force against Iraq in 2003 reached the Security Council.

When an enlargement of the Security Council was discussed in 1995, PRC encouraged African states to demand their seats as a countermove to Japan's ambitions, thereby killing the initiative.

On human rights issues, the PRC has been increasingly successful at maintaining their positions. In 1995, they won 43 percent of the votes in the General Assembly; by 2006 they won 82 percent.