Expanding China’s Influence via Membership: Examining the Influence of Chinese-Led International Institutions on Responses to Human Rights Issues in China

Abstract

Do Chinese-led international institutions influence human rights discourse in China? Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has spearheaded the establishment of various international institutions, attracting numerous member states. States that participate in Chinese-led international institutions tend to be swayed by China's influence and are more cautious when addressing sensitive issues concerning China. Additionally, they are more likely to adopt a favorable stance towards Chinese human rights issues compared to those that are not affiliated with these institutions. This paper examines how membership in international institutions led by China affects state responses to human rights issues in China. We leverage recommendations on Chinese human rights made in the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UN UPR) between 2009 and 2018 in two steps. First, we utilize multinomial logistic regression models to determine which choices the reviewers prefer with respect to the UN UPR recommendations: not sending, sending praising, neutral, or shaming. Second, using ordinal logistic regression models, we investigate which types of recommendations reviewers are more likely to send to China if they decide to send them. Our findings show that reviewers with greater involvement in Chinese-led international institutions are more likely to send recommendations to China, which contradicts our first hypothesis. However, reviewers are more prone to make praising recommendations, aligning with our second hypothesis.