The Hindu Business Line : Chinese checkers

Unfortunately for Mr Shashi Tharoor, the winning candidate has to be the one who gets the unqualified support of either the US or China, no matter what France, the UK or Russia may think.

That China may not support the candidature of Shashi Tharoor from India to become the eighth General-Secretary of the United Nations comes as no surprise. In fact, China is closest to Pakistan, as an off-the-record ally, according to James Traub, whose book United Nations — The Best Intentions is to be published soon.

The Chinese Ambassador to the UN, Mr Wang Guangya, and the Pakistan`s Representative at the UN, Mr Munir Akram, are often said to plan their strategies together.

Unfortunately for Mr Tharoor, the winning candidate has to be the one who gets the unqualified support of either the US or China, no matter what France, the UK or Russia may think.

Despite differences of opinion between the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, and the US, the world body has been perceived as the US' handmaiden, particularly after the collapse of the erstwhile Soviet Union. However, now, it would seem that China, with its growing economic muscle, may emerge a serious challenger to the US clout.

Amid this power-play, one wonders how long it will take for India to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

China, from all accounts, wants to be involved in the international body, but on its own terms.

While over the years, the UN has been trying to play a more liberal interventionist role in implementing the principles enshrined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights, this does not sit well with China. It is quite at home with its brand of communism, tempered with high-growth capitalism, but cannot tolerate dissidence or opposition.

Having acquired the status of a global economic power it is playing an active role by routinely signing arms-control agreements and anti-terrorism conventions. It has even begun contributing troops — almost all of whom provide medical or engineering services rather than frontline patrolling — and policemen to UN peace-keeping operations.

However, not only is its own human rights record far from good, China is also on the side of countries such as Sudan, Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Myanmar and North Korea whose records are, to say the least, abysmal.

For instance, while none has come forward to protect the people of Darfur from the atrocities of the government and its proxy force, Janjaweed, China, which buys oil from Sudan, has become Khartoum's chief protector.

Even when US Congress went so far as to declare that it was a `genocide', China let it be known that it would oppose any UNSC resolution that threatens sanctions against Sudan.

In this, Pakistan, expectedly, acted in concert by declaring that any action against Sudan wouldmean violation of national sovereignty of an Islamic nation. The irony, of course, was that the victims and oppressors are both Islamic.

And, then, China is also known for changing its stance when it no longer suits it, as was seen in the case of reduction of emissions.

Several years ago, China joined India in repudiating the Montreal Protocol, but when the international community offered to pay for the technology needed to reduce emissions, China decided that global regulation of pollution did not, in fact, constitute a violation of national sovereignty, leaving India alone in its principled opposition.

With the list of candidates including the Jordanian prince, who may get the support of both Pakistan and China, things may be even more difficult for Shashi Tharoor.

(The author is a former Member, Ordnance Factories.)

R. Sundaram

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