Peng Nian
Since the outbreak of the coronary virus epidemic, the World Health Organization has become a new round of the main battlefield in China and the United States.This indicates that the comprehensive competition between China and the United States has spread to non -economic international organizations such as double and multilateral diplomatic occasions and international organizations in the fields of economic organizations.In the future, international organizations in the field of health, law and human rights may become a new battlefield for Sino -US battles.
Since Trump came to power, the United States has successively withdrawn from more than a dozen international organizations or international agreements including UNESCO, the Bandong Post Alliance, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Cross -Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).Recently, Trump announced at the White House press conference that the United States will suspend funding in funding and review the latter.This has also triggered the discussion of whether the United States will withdraw from the WHO.
Many scholars regard the large -scale retreat of Trump as the specific practice of degrading multilateralism and returning to isolation.On the one hand, Trump is unwilling to spend money and energy for international organizations, but trying to concentrate on resources to do domestic affairs.That is, Trump has repeatedly claimed the United States priority; on the other hand, Trump prefers to achieve transactions through bilateral negotiations, or directly take unilateral operations to achieve the goal.
However, these analysis cannot fully explain Trump's adherence to certain international organizations.For example, although Trump repeatedly criticized the World Trade Organization (WTO) and did not hesitate to force the WTO appeal mechanism to stop, the United States not only did not withdraw from the WTO, but also the most powerful country in WTO.At the same time, the United States still controls the international organizations related to the global economic life of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Trump has other main reasons for the relatives of international organizations, that is, the impact of international organizations on the interests of the United States.In short, which international organizations are good for the United States and listening to the United States, the United States is the international organization.Those international organizations that have little impact on the national interests of the United States are naturally difficult for Trump's interest.
For example, Trump currently advocates that withdrawal from international organizations, concentrated on areas that have less impact on the national interests such as culture and climate change, and Trump is quite valued for international organizations that are related to the US global economic hegemony.In addition, many international organizations in the fields of public health, international law and human rights will gradually enter Trump's field of vision, and it is likely to become a new battlefield for Trump to account for China.
First, the outbreak of the crown disease epidemic highlights the unique role of international organizations in the public health field in major public health crisis.This includes not only the level of international organizations such as WHO on crisis incidents and the economic and political impact it brings, but also its ability to guide public opinion in crisis control.
The reason why Trump accusations over the WHO is nothing more than these two points.First, the WHO persisted in the early stage of outbreak of the epidemic.As Trump said, in the early days of the Virus outbreak, WHO opposed the US government's decision to implement travel restrictions on China. Other countries opened the door to China when they listened to WHO, and the virus spread.The Health Organization actively defended China and Trump was unhappy.
On the 7th of this month, Trump announced at a briefing at the Daily Event of the White House that he would strongly prevent the United States from providing funds to WHO because the organization holds a Chinese -centric position.
On the 14th of this month, Trump announced at a press conference at the White House that he had suspended allocation to the WHO and stated that he had issued relevant instructions to the government department.The United States is the largest donation country of the WHO, donating more than $ 400 million last year.
Trump has announced the scope of review of the WHO to include the role of the fact that it has disappointed and concealed the truth of the virus, which is self -explanatory for China.Therefore, in the next accountability process, Trump will inevitably take the WHO as a target to hold China.For China, defending WHO is the most effective way to counterattack the United States.
In fact, when the United States has repeatedly threatened to reduce the fees of WHO, China has donated $ 20 million in assistance to WHO.China is also quite dissatisfied with the cross -handed behavior of Trump's shaking WHO.In the future, the offensive and defensive battles of the WHO will continue. Even if the epidemic will eventually be effectively controlled and gradually eliminated, the disputes between the WHO between China and the United States will be difficult to stop, unless the victory is divided.
Second, Trump asked the WHO to have the intention of drunkhs that he had a drunkard, and his ultimate purpose may be to account for China.In fact, the US domestic political elites have been lingering in accountable China.Last month, the two houses of the United States had intensively proposed a number of proposals, requiring investigations to investigate China's error treatment of crown disease, and even called on public health officials in many countries to launch international investigations to cover the spread of the early epidemic in China and the people of the United States and the people of the world.The damage caused is quantified to claim to China for the affected country.
It can be seen that after the epidemic situation eases, the United States' accountability of China may gradually begin.In this case, it is impossible for the United States to do it alone. Instead, it has pulled all countries and uses international organizations such as international courts to jointly account for China.At that time, the battle between China and the United States in international courts such as international court may become a new focus.
Third, despite the blessing of the WHO and the International Court, the United States is also likely to sacrifice the human rights card again to pursue China on the grounds that human rights are harmful.As early as the 7th of this month, seven US Republican Senators jointly wrote a letter to the United Nations Secretary -General Guterres to oppose the Minister of the Permanent Permanent Period of Geneva Jiang Duan as members of the UN Human Rights Council's consulting team.
They claim that China ’s government officials should not occupy such an important position on the Human Rights Council when dealing with human rights in Xinjiang when dealing with crown disease epidemic and trample on human rights in Xinjiang.Therefore, the UN Human Rights Council and some mainstream non -governmental organizations that focus on human rights may also become another big battlefield for the United States to account for China.
The author is an associate researcher at the South China Sea Research Institute
