Mike Waltz, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for United Nations ambassador, vowed on Tuesday to make the world body “great again” – and that he would do so by confronting Beijing’s expanding influence while leading an overhaul of what he described as a bloated, favouritism-plagued institution.
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“Countering China … is critical,” the former Florida congressman said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Waltz called it “absurd” that China, the world’s second-largest economy, was still “treated as a developing nation” and that most UN agencies continued to give the country favourable status.
He accused Beijing of strategically placing its personnel throughout the UN system – “at all levels, including bodies that set international standards, aviation, telecommunications, IP” – and pledged to restore American leadership and ensure the US maintains a “strong voice” at the world body.
Waltz added that he was “confident under this president’s leadership, we can continue to spread peace and prosperity, and I’m confident we can make the UN great again”.
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Waltz noted that the State Department had established an office to help the US compete with China for senior and mid-level positions in international organisations.