The byzantine rules and procedures of multilateral institutions form the backdrop for China's global power play, following President Xi Jinping's 2018 call for China to “lead the reform of the global governance system with the concepts of fairness and justice.” As the US pulls back from its global obligations, there's increasing evidence that China is simply changing the rules inside these global bodies. In this episode, we explore whether China is influencing three international organizations: the U.N. Human Rights Council, the World Trade Organization, and the World Health Organization. To ask whether Xi’s vision of a new global order is being realized, Louisa and Graeme are joined by Sophie Richardson, the China director at Human Rights Watch, trade expert Weihuan Zhou from the University of NSW’s law school, and freelance journalist Hinnerk Feldwisch-Drentrup who is the co-founder of MedWatch.

Credit: UN Photo / Yun Zhao
Caption: Secretary-General Meets with President of China. Secretary-General António Guterres (left) meets with Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, in Great Hall of the People during the 2nd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China.
26 April 2019