More and more Chinese nationals hold important positions in international organizations.Leading roles include those in politics, economics, finance, law, culture, and technology.When Zhang Tao, former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was appointed Asia-Pacific Director of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), he became the first Chinese member of the bank's management team in 92 years of history.In August 2021, the IMF appointed Li Bo, former Governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), as Deputy Managing Director.The Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs is now Liu Zhenmin, a former Chinese Vice Foreign Minister.Qu Dongyu assumed the role of the first Chinese Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.Li Yong, a former director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), was previously vice minister of China's finance ministry.Zhang Xiangchen, a former vice-minister of China's Ministry of Commerce, is now deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO).Chinese national Xue Hanqin is a jurist at the International Court of Justice, one of the six principal organs of the UN;Huang Huikang is a member of the UN International Law Commission.Zhao Houlin is secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Shu Yinbiao is president of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).The ITU, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the IEC are the three major international standards organizations in the world.The Chinese are also now at the head of international cultural, technological and sports organizations.This demonstrates the growing expectations of international organizations regarding China's role as the nation's overall strength and influence increase.At the same time, China's intensified support for international organizations demonstrates its respect and recognition of the existing international order.This is quite different from the situation surrounding the surprise promotion of Chinese official Zhang Shengman to Vice President of the World Bank (WB) in 1996, emphasizing that the time has come for China to engage fully and proactively in the administration of international organizations, and China has become a key player and duty bearer in the international order.Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) are primarily public organizations founded after the two world wars of the last century that serve as important executive agencies within the framework of the new international order.China has participated in the creation and operation of some of the most important international organizations, including the UN, WTO, BIS, IMF and World Bank.Originally designed to maintain peace, stabilize finances and reduce poverty, these systems may be flawed but represent an important step in replacing the law of the jungle with effective global collaboration and coordination.In the era of growth dominated by globalization, humanity has experienced its longest era of relative peace, with the lowest death toll, despite sporadic wars.Over the past three decades, China, the most populous nation in the world, has made remarkable achievements in alleviating poverty and establishing a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thanks to its persistence in reform. and openness, and its participation in the redistribution of labor during globalization and in the existing international order.In recent years, the tide of globalization has receded, giving rise to many conflicts and global soul-searching.But the Chinese government reiterated the nation's adherence to the existing international order underpinned by the UN Charter and participated in international organizations, playing a role commensurate with the nation's strength.Its leaders have proposed the concept of a “community of shared destiny for humanity”.These actions reveal China's unwavering support for globalization and the international order related to it, as well as its aspiration to continue playing its part.What expectations should China have vis-à-vis international organizations?At present, the opinions of Chinese people from various walks of life seem inconsistent and include long-term misunderstandings.The traditional vision of international organizations is that of a second front of diplomatic rivalry.However, most IGOs ​​with specific missions seek international cooperation rather than fostering diplomatic conflict.In the long run, just paying lip service cannot be effective.Another view is that people working for international organizations should prioritize seeking benefits for China, through means such as getting more loans from the World Bank, building a favorable personnel, promoting favorable IMF quota reform or promoting the internationalization of the RMB.However, this narrow and biased view is likely to generate conflicts of interest that should be avoided and run counter to the principles of modern governance.There is also an unspoken view that we finally have “people on our side” in international organizations, through whom we can demand special treatment.This corrupt custom should be abandoned.This cognitive gap has existed for years, and although it has narrowed recently, it remains.How choices are actually made often depends on the professionalism and integrity of a public servant.China has started to make progress in the governance of international public affairs.Chinese officials working in international organizations are better today in terms of quality, character and implementation than they were 10 or 20 years ago, which will perhaps improve the capabilities of the China and create opportunities for its active participation and improvement of the existing international order.For example, in addition to previous suggestions on SDRs, in an exclusive interview with Caixin earlier this year, former PBOC governor Zhou Xiaochuan proposed levying a digital tax on multinational tycoons.Conceived as a global tax, this could fund international organizations and benefit related fields – an innovative and constructive proposal.Only when consensus is reached at home can Chinese officials in international organizations be supported to focus on difference in their areas of expertise.As a professional with long experience of working in international organizations and having thought about these issues, it seems to me that there is great potential for us to gradually develop ways of pursuing the national interest while carrying out the missions of these organizations.Ling Huawei is editor-in-chief of Caixin Media and Caixin Weekly.Download our app to receive news alerts and read news on the go.Get our free weekly Must-Read newsletter.Save my name, email and website in this browser for the next time I comment.