Western Engagement Meets Chinese Obstructionism
Western Engagement Meets Chinese Obstructionism
Last Thursday, two weeks of talks to establish a 640,000-square-mile sanctuary off the coast of Antarctica ended in failure as three nations—China, Russia, and Ukraine—blocked agreement. The 25-member Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) will meet next July in Germany to see if it is possible to resurrect the US-New Zealand proposal to protect the Ross Sea, “the world’s most intact marine ecosystem.”
Chinese officials delighted in stopping the plan to create a preserve. As an unnamed official told AFP, “I think there was a little bit of ‘Don’t tell us what we can or can’t do,’ as well as keeping their options open.”
Beijing has traditionally played an obstructionist role in international organizations. It has, for instance, consistently blocked initiatives on Syria and Darfur from its seat on the Security Council, it has lent diplomatic support to the Iranian and North Korean nuclear weapons programs from its position on the Governing Board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and now it is taking on penguins and whales through its membership in CCAMLR.
How did China ever become a CCAMLR member in the first place? For four decades, nations have wanted to “engage” the Chinese and enmesh them into the international system. China was invited to join every international organization in sight and asked to sign treaties and covenants.