A fox in the henhouse: China, normative change, and the UN Human Rights Council

Abstract

Decades of social science research on human rights has mapped the conditions under which states sign and ratify treaties, abide by their conditions, and promote or criticize human rights in other states. Some norms contained in the core human rights treaties, particularly civil and political rights, are seen by authoritarian states as politically threatening. Autocracies can reshape human rights through international institutions and seek to change their content over time. This article investigates China’s engagement in the UN Human Rights Council, focusing on both the content and practices of the People’s Republic of China’s approach. In terms of content, it examines China’s voting record to determine the issues it prioritizes. In terms of practices, it identifies four modes of pursuing normative change: mobilizing like-mindedness, implied coercion, tactical deception, and repression of critical voices. These modes capture a range of activity in and around multilateral institutions, some of which usually does not draw scholarly attention in studies of normative change. The findings provide insights into the future of human rights norms in the United Nations and beyond.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank a research assistant who asked to remain anonymous. You know who you are. For reading the manuscript and providing helpful comments at various stages, I am grateful to Courtney Fung, Andrea Ghiselli, Andrea Worden, Lindsay Morgan, and Stephan Haggard.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alexander Dukalskis

Alexander Dukalskis is an associate professor in the School of Politics & International Relations at University College Dublin and director of the UCD Center for Asia-Pacific Research. His research and teaching cover authoritarian politics, human rights, and Asian politics. His most recent book is Making the World Safe for Dictatorship (Oxford University Press, 2021).