Mutual Legitimation Attempts: the United Nations and China’s Belt and Road Initiative

相互合法性尝试：联合国与中国的“一带一路”倡议

Sebastian Haug

塞巴斯蒂安·豪格

Abstract：The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become a hallmark of China’s global rise. While the BRI has unfolded as a global platform focused on bilateral relations, the Chinese government has also tried to expand links between the BRI and international organizations, notably the United Nations. Available evidence about UN–BRI relations suggests, however, that an initial honeymoon phase with mushrooming projects and public endorsements was followed by a sharp decline in engagement. This article argues that a focus on inter-governor legitimation attempts helps understand the rise and fall of UN–BRI relations. Based on publicly available evidence, internal documentation and stakeholder interviews, it shows how legitimation informed motivations on both sides to invest in UN–BRI relations, and how western opposition subsequently led to UN entities reducing their engagement. Empirically, the article contributes to the literature on China’s global role, evolving power relations at the UN, and the proliferation of geopolitically motivated flagship initiatives across UN member states. Conceptually, it speaks to the expanding debate about legitimation in world politics through a more systematic engagement with relational legitimation dynamics. A focus on one-sided or mutual legitimation attempts offers a conceptual tool for analyzing how interactions among global governors and their audiences unfold, and how international organizations try (and fail) to strengthen their resilience in light of an increasingly polarized membership.

摘要：“一带一路”倡议（BRI）已成为中国在全球崛起的标志性举措。虽然“一带一路”倡议作为一个聚焦双边关系的全球平台，但中国政府也积极寻求加强“一带一路”倡议与国际组织（特别是联合国）之间的联系。然而现有证据表明，在联合国与“一带一路”初期蜜月期，伴随着项目的迅速增加和公众的高度认可之后，双方的参与度却出现了显著下降。本文认为，关注双方在政府层面的合法性尝试有助于理解联合国—“一带一路”关系的兴衰。根据公开证据、内部文件和对利益相关者的访谈，本文揭示了合法性如何塑造双方在联合国—“一带一路”关系中的投资动机，以及西方的抵制如何导致联合国机构减少其参与度。从实证角度来看，本文为有关中国在全球舞台的角色、联合国权力结构演变以及联合国会员国中地缘政治驱动的大型倡议在联合国会员国中的扩散的文献做出了贡献。从概念上讲，本文通过更系统地探讨关系合法性动态，为世界政治中合法性辩论的扩展做出了贡献。关注单边或相互合法化的尝试提供了一个概念工具，用于分析全球理事及其受众之间的互动模式，以及国际组织在面对成员国日益分化的情况下如何努力（有时失败）加强其复原力。

Keywords: International Relations Theory；East Asia and Pacific；Global Health and Development；International Governance, Law, and Ethics

关键词：国际关系理论；东亚和太平洋地区；全球健康与发展；国际治理、法律和道德；

来源： https://academic.oup.com/ia/article/100/3/1207/7663931?login=false

发表时间：2024-5-3

检索：杨文慧

翻译：郑安然

一审：杨文慧

二审：彭莉

三审：罗玲娟

上传发布：姜浩