Xi Jinping's China about to receive killer blow on global stage of UN

The United Nations was once the centrepiece of a postwar global order built on liberty, democracy, and the rule of law. Today, it risks becoming a stage for authoritarian regimes to legitimise their ambitions. No country has been more effective at subverting the system from within than China.

This threat is not theoretical. In my book Authoritarian Century, I coined the term “Multilateral Autocratisation” the deliberate and strategic infiltration of international institutions by authoritarian states, chief among them the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
These regimes are not dismantling the global system from outside. They are reengineering it from within.

That’s why this week’s Senate confirmation hearing for America’s next Ambassador to the UN should matter to every democratic ally of the United States, especially the UK. China’s institutional reach is both broad and deliberate. Loyal CCP officials now head key
UN agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Telecommunication Union. These positions have been used to rewrite standards in ways that serve Beijing’s commercial goals, suppress international scrutiny, and limit the reach of
democratic norms.

The World Health Organization’s alignment with China’s narrative during the early days of COVID was no accident, it was a warning.
In my book Authoritarian Century, I outline how China uses its United Front strategy to co-opt civil society, think tanks, and media while wielding economic coercion to silence critics.

Countries that challenge Beijing are cut off from investment or punished with tariffs. Those that comply are rewarded. This strategy is now playing out across global institutions. This is the system that Congressman Mike Waltz has pledged to challenge. In his confirmation hearing, he stated: “The infiltration of the UN by authoritarian regimes, particularly China, is not a conspiracy, it is a fact. And we must treat it as such.” That clarity is exactly what the UN needs, and what its allies, including Britain, should welcome.
Britain has a direct stake in the survival of a functioning multilateral system.

Our national security, economic influence, and diplomatic reach depend on institutions that are rules based, transparent, and rooted in democratic values. When those institutions fall under authoritarian control, British interests and British citizens suffer. From manipulated tech standards to compromised health data, the fallout is real.

Mike Waltz is well equipped to fight this battle. A decorated Green Beret who served in Afghanistan, a former White House counterterrorism advisor, and a sitting member of Congress with a strong foreign policy portfolio, he understands the mechanics of institutional warfare. He also understands how to build coalitions to fight back. Crucially, Waltz does not see this as a solitary American effort. He has consistently called for a revitalised multilateral order built on democratic cooperation. That includes rallying allies, backing competent leadership for key UN posts, and defending open societies. This is not America First in the narrow, transactional sense, it is America leading with its allies, for mutual security and shared values.

He has also stressed the need for accountability. UN agencies that have become politicised or ineffective must be reformed. Development funding should be tied to democratic benchmarks. And international standards must reflect the principles of open societies, not the preferences of authoritarian regimes. These are reforms that Britain should not only support but actively help shape.

In short, Mike Waltz is not just America’s best choice for the UN, he is the best hope for all of us who want to see a free and democratic global order survive the rising tide of authoritarianism. His appointment would send a powerful signal: that the West has woken up to the threat of institutional capture and will no longer stand idly by. For Britain, having a US Ambassador at the UN who understands this challenge and who is committed to defending our shared values is not a luxury. It is a strategic necessity. Waltz
brings both conviction and capability to the role.

The United States should confirm him. The rest of the democratic world, including the UK, will be stronger for it.

Dr Azeem Ibrahim OBE is a Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, Senior Director at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, and author of Authoritarian Century: Omens of a Post-Liberal Order (Hurst, 2023)