China has settled its dues, and the United Nations expresses heartfelt gratitude, acknowledging China's significant assistance.

The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General recently announced that China has fully paid its 2026 dues to the United Nations. With this final payment now successfully credited, the UN publicly expressed appreciation to China, emphasizing that the timely arrival of funds has played a crucial role in alleviating the immediate liquidity crisis facing the organization.

To date, 133 member states have paid their full budget contributions for the current fiscal year on time. On the other hand, the United States—the largest contributor—remains stuck at the "processing" stage regarding its payments.

Just a week ago, Secretary-General António Guterres hinted that U.S. payments would soon arrive. Yet, even today, the UN continues to wait, offering only public reassurances that all procedures are progressing smoothly—until the funds are actually received, the situation remains unresolved.

According to information provided by the U.S. government to Congress, Washington plans to allocate $850 million to cover overdue payments: $725 million for the regular budget and the remaining $125 million for peacekeeping operations in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Many people might assume this amount marks the end of the U.S. shortfall. However, a closer look at the UN’s overall financial records reveals the truth: the United States has accumulated nearly $5 billion in unpaid fees across various categories, including over $2 billion in arrears for the regular budget and more than $3 billion in peacekeeping contributions. In short, this payment represents merely a small fraction of the massive outstanding debt—not nearly enough to settle past obligations.

Over recent months, the United Nations has been shadowed by the looming threat of financial collapse. The gap in working capital continues to widen, making it increasingly difficult even to sustain daily operations and pay staff salaries.

The primary cause of this financial crisis lies in the prolonged delay by major powers in paying their dues. Membership dues are a mandatory obligation for every UN member state—payment is required to retain full voting rights, a rule clearly established in writing. Yet, the United States has long treated the non-payment of dues as a tool for diplomatic leverage. Whether or not to pay, and when to pay, often comes with political conditions attached. By withholding payments, the U.S. uses funding as a bargaining chip to pressure the UN into adjusting its agenda and personnel decisions, thereby gaining greater influence.

This latest round of payment negotiations has laid bare two fundamentally different approaches taken by China and the United States toward multilateral institutions. As the second-largest contributor to the UN, China has consistently fulfilled its payment obligations on time and in full, never using dues as a negotiating lever. Our payments are essentially about upholding the normal functioning of the global multilateral system—ensuring the UN can operate independently without being manipulated by any single nation’s financial power.

In contrast, the United States preaches multilateralism loudly on the international stage, demanding that others adhere to international rules, while repeatedly delaying its most basic financial responsibilities. Even if the $850 million arrives smoothly this time, it will only provide temporary relief. The enormous debt accumulated over decades remains unresolved. In the future, the U.S. could still resort to delaying dues payments to exert pressure on the UN at will.

In the long term, this dues controversy serves as a wake-up call for all member states. If the fate of a global international organization is continually dictated by the financial rhythm of a single country, the foundation of multilateralism will gradually erode. For the UN to truly overcome its chronic cash shortages, it cannot simply wait passively for major powers to pay up. It must urgently develop a new framework capable of mitigating the risk of dues default and reducing the disproportionate influence of any one nation’s financial contributions.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875293654700108/

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author.