224
Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to the United Nations, vowed on Tuesday at his Senate confirmation hearing to resist increasing Chinese influence and overhaul what he called a fat, politicized world institution.
Addressing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the former congressman from Florida underscored that “countering China is critical” and berated the United Nations for still treating Beijing as a developing country when it is the world’s second-largest economy. It was an “absurd” state of affairs, he said, and charged China with infusing its officials into different UN agencies covering international standards, aviation, telecommunication, and intellectual property.
Waltz pledged to reassert robust US leadership in the UN and have American values and interests take center stage. “I believe under this president’s leadership, we can continue to spread peace and prosperity and make the UN great again,” he said in a nod to Trump campaign rhetoric.
He observed the US State Department has also already established an office to assist American candidates running for influential leadership positions at global institutions an initiative he favors to stem Chinese influence. Although recognizing worries regarding the Trump administration’s earlier reduction in US global media outlets and foreign assistance, Waltz insisted numerous nations still found it more appealing to collaborate with Washington after Trump returned to power.
Waltz also spoke to more general UN reform, suggesting that the organization had lost its original purpose in 1945 to preserve peace and security. “It’s grown into more than 80 agencies with duplicative missions that waste money,” he said, adding that the US the UN’s largest financial supporter ought to get value and outcomes.
In questioning, Senator Jeff Merkley queried Waltz on human rights issues, such as Chinese forced labor in the Xinjiang province. Waltz called it “heartbreaking” and pledged to continue efforts like the Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act. He also extended support for Taiwan’s representation in international arenas but reaffirmed the United States’ adherence to the one-China policy, assuring that he would continue to do so unless otherwise instructed.
Waltz was nominated in May after his dismissal as national security adviser for having accidentally added a journalist to a secure group chat during a military operation. Although the controversy, his confirmation hearing centered mainly on global governance, accountability, and pushing back against authoritarian influence.
