China’s Engagement with the United Nations (UN) has greatly increased under the leadership of Hu Jintao. The economic and political developments in China have led to a pluralization of foreign policy actors. Against this background, the analysis positions itself between the research fields of International Relations and Comparative Politics, within the current debate about the role of domestic politics in international relations in liberal and constructivist approaches as well as recent contributions on the responsiveness of authoritarian systems.
In four case studies (Peacekeeping, R2P, MDGs and Sustainability) it demonstrates that the Chinese leadership makes strategic use of UN policy to strengthen its domestic position while it has to increasingly take the preferences of domestic actors into account. The book concludes that the chances for international actors to influence Chinese UN policy making remain limited – Chinese UN policy is determined on the domestic level.