China's changing attitude to UN peacekeeping

How China protects and promotes its security interests and fulfils its international moral responsibility in peacekeeping is a prominent concern for Chinese foreign policy. However, the policy-makers in Beijing view the principles of state sovereignty and non-interference with more flexibility than ever before. Where security interests and relations with the international community are concerned, China clearly wants to increase its role in maintaining international peace and stability. Nevertheless, China's aim to become a key contributor to peacekeeping has been handicapped not only by its limited resources and lack of well-trained personnel but also by its lack of a coherent vision. A positive attitude towards the Brahimi Report reflects lessons learned from previous peacekeeping experiences. China has now been promoting greater involvement of Asian and other developing states in decision-making in UN operations, particularly in the formulation of peacekeeping mandates. Becoming a major contributor to peacekeeping could help China not only to fulfil its growing responsibilities as an important member of the international community, but also to achieve its foreign policy objective of ‘democratizing interstate relations’.