The Responsibility to Protect and China's Peacekeeping Policy

When the term ‘responsibility to protect’ (R2P) was introduced in 2001, it was conceived as signifying a framework primarily aimed at legitimizing the use of force against states to protect populations from egregious abuse. China initially condemned the principle, then later endorsed R2P at the 2005 World Summit and reaffirmed its endorsement in the UN Security Council. This article examines the shift in China's position, which seems to run counter to China's stance on sovereignty, non-interference and the use of force. It asserts that China has gradually sought to distance the R2P principle from military action taken without the consent of the host state, and to limit the impact of R2P on robust civilian protection in consent-based UN peacekeeping. In doing so, China has adeptly managed to avoid some of the image costs of obstructing the UN effort to prevent and respond to atrocities, without ceding ground on its core peacekeeping policies and priorities.