Dobrianksy and Runde: China's power inside the UN is growing rapidly and US must up its game

Washington should up its game vis-à-vis the U.N. system and multilateral and regional organizations.

Though sometimes poorly known in Washington, these institutions wield power, setting global standards, establishing rules of the game on such key issues as trade and technology, generating and managing sensitive data, and spend billions of dollars around the world. The U.S. must counteract this Chinese strategy.

Chinese nationals currently lead three United Nations bodies—the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)—and China is vigorously advancing candidates to head others. To get its way, Beijing often uses bribery and other underhanded tactics.