Accommodation available: China, Western powers and the operation of structural power in the UN Security Council

Abstract

This article focuses on the way that China and the main Western states on the United Nations Security Council have pursued “mutual accommodation” as China's geopolitical weight has grown in recent years. China still only rarely uses its veto and typically avoids taking responsibility for drafting Council products. Western powers are nonetheless careful to acknowledge and accommodate China's interests wherever possible, through tactics like watering down proposed Council products and avoiding confrontational meetings. China reciprocates by not blocking Western actions outright, but can take advantage of Western caution to gain leverage in the Council. In light of their toxic relationship with Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom and France see avoiding a strategic breakdown in their relations with China as in their strategic interests. Overall, the article highlights how the structural power inherent in the mutual constitution of the capacities and identities of the permanent members of the Security Council influences the social relations of the members and helps them to reach a compromise over many challenging issues The article illustrates this argument with detailed examples from Council diplomacy over Myanmar and Ukraine.