External publications

The United Nations and China's rise: Qu Dongyu remains FAO Director-General

Baumann, Max
External Publications (2023)

in: Welternährung - Das Fachjournal der Welthungerhilfe (8/2023)

Deut. Ausg. u.d.T.:
Die Vereinten Nationen und Chinas Aufstieg: Qu Dongyu bleibt FAO-Generaldirektor
 

Volltext/Full text

Qu Dongyu was re-elected for a second term as Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in July 2023. He received 168 out of 182 votes from member states, there was no competitor. With a budget of $2,6 billion (2022), the FAO is among the larger entities of the United Nations (UN). Its importance has arguably increased during the global food crisis, which has been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Qu’s re-election is politically relevant as his leadership of the FAO should  also be seen in the context of China’s global rise. The robust diplomatic support China lent to his first candidacy in 2019 may serve as an indication of China’s strategic interests in the FAO, in view of food security at home, but also president Xi Jinping’s ambition to establish China as a global power in a new, multipolar world order. For developing countries, this means a welcome change. Western states, particularly in  Europe, remain skeptical.