Why China Wants to Be Asia's Only UN Security Council Member

China's stance on being the sole Asian representative in the United Nations Security Council has come into sharper focus following Russia's robust endorsement of India's bid for permanent membership earlier this month.

The Russian ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, has extended support to New Delhi's aspiration to the UNSC permanent seat, saying Saturday in an interview with Russian state media outlet, Russia Today: "We are of the view that India as a permanent member of the Security Council could make a significant contribution to promoting balance as well as an agenda focused on the interests of the world majority, primarily the countries of the Global South."

With Russia's backing, India's bid now faces opposition solely from China within the five permanent members group, highlighting Beijing's determination to remain the exclusive Asian power within it. But India's candidature could also face opposition from other non-permanent members of the UNSC.

This development occurs against the backdrop of heightened tensions and rivalry between China and India, both vying for leadership within the developing world. New Delhi increasingly considers Beijing a challenge to its geopolitical interests, while the former has developed close ties with Washington.

China and India have clashed over their border dispute in the Eastern Ladakh region since June 2020. The ongoing border stand-off, now in its fourth year, continues to bear down on their bilateral relationship.

India's Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subramanyam Jaishankar, said in Perth, Australia, that India will certainly achieve the target of joining the UNSC as a permanent member, India's new agency, The Press Trust of India, reported on February 10.

"We will get there. I am 100 percent certain we will get there. But I will also tell you that honestly, we will not get it easily because the world is full of competition," Jaishankar said.

The process for reforming the U.N. Security Council is stringent, requiring the support of at least nine of its 15 members and the acquiescence of all five permanent members: Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States.

Analysts suggest that China's opposition is rooted in its ambition to be the singular Asian representative among the council's permanent members.

Ashok Kantha, India's former ambassador to China from 2014 to 2016, told Newsweek that Beijing has made efforts to thwart New Delhi's candidature to the coveted UNSC while giving passive assurances.

Newsweek reached out to China's embassy in New Delhi for comment.

"However, in practice, we have found that China has actively obstructed any restructuring of the UNSC and our efforts run into the Great Wall of China's opposition. We have interpreted the Chinese behavior as the lack of support for the rise of India and its aspirations, notwithstanding formal assurances to the contrary," Kantha said.

"China is not inclined to share the space with another developing country and would like to preserve its status as the only non-western country that is a permanent member of the UNSC."

Kanti Bajpai, a professor and Wilmar chair of Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, told Newsweek that China may try to build consensus among other middle powers to stall India's quest for a UNSC seat.

"China will certainly invoke the middle powers argument. Namely, there is a range of middle powers that would not support India, Japan, and Germany, and until there is more consensus, it would be inappropriate to admit these three powers as permanent members," Bajpai said.

"Singapore is very cautious and will not break with the rest of ASEAN on this. A lot, therefore, depends on key players in ASEAN. For Singapore, that means Indonesia and Malaysia. New Delhi has not paid much attention to the region after Modi's first term and has done quite a lot of things to annoy it (including not joining RCEP)," he added.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a free trade agreement among the nations in the Indo-Pacific, which New Delhi decided to sit out despite prolonged negotiations to join the trading bloc.

Chinese state media have said the United States' proposed reforms to the UNSC, including India's seat at the table, are driven by geopolitical interests rather than genuine calls for reforming the body.

"Japan and India are the two poles of Washington's China-targeted "Indo-Pacific" strategy, Germany is the center of Europe to deal with Russia, and Brazil is the No 1 country in the US' backyard of Latin America. It can be said that this is largely a deployment against China and Russia," an op-ed by Chinese state media outlet China Daily said last year.

Despite Moscow's support for New Delhi, China's opposition to India's seat is unlikely to change. The challenges to Security Council reform are manifold, including the formidable task of amending the U.N. Charter, which experts believe will be challenging to achieve.

In the broader debate over Security Council reform, various countries and regional blocs have proposed modifications to make the body more representative and regionally balanced.

Nations such as Italy, Argentina, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, and Pakistan, alongside the African Union, have also expressed interest in reform plans or sought to become permanent members, according to the China Daily op-ed. However, these proposals have not garnered the necessary support from key players, including the United States, the publication said.

"China will certainly urge these countries to oppose Indian membership or, at the very least, it will argue that these countries are not comfortable with Indian membership and that, therefore, India does not deserve a seat," Bajpai told Newsweek while commenting on other countries aspiring to take up UNSC seat.

"China would also use its influence in the Global South to oppose India. India's recent loss in UNESCO to Pakistan shows that India's support in the Global South may, in any case, be shaky. China will exploit this," he added.