A fox in the henhouse: China, normative change, and the UN Human Rights Council

Decades of social science research on human rights has mapped the conditions under which states sign and ratify treaties, abide by their conditions, promote or criticize in other states. Some norms contained core particularly civil political rights, are seen authoritarian as politically threatening. Autocracies can reshape through international institutions seek to change content over time. This article investigates China’s engagement UN Human Rights Council, focusing both practices People’s Republic approach. In terms content, it examines voting record determine issues prioritizes. practices, identifies four modes pursuing normative change: mobilizing like-mindedness, implied coercion, tactical deception, repression critical voices. These capture a range activity around multilateral institutions, some usually does not draw scholarly attention studies change. The findings provide insights into future United Nations beyond.