Norm Complexity and Contestation: Navigating China’s Approaches to the Protection of Civilians

The Protection of Civilians (POC) is an internationally institutionalized norm that has been applied as a core mandate in most UN peacekeeping operations. Given its relatively high level of institutionalization, openly contesting POC could carry high reputational costs for states. In this context, how can a state contest such a deeply entrenched norm to reshape it in alignment with its own normative beliefs, while simultaneously minimizing reputational risks? To address this question, this paper introduces the concept of ‘interpretative contestation’, which refers to discourse and practices that embody different understandings of a norm’s content and structure. Using this concept, this paper examines how China—one of the major contributors to peacekeeping operations that place high value on its international reputation—contests the POC norm. It identifies a specific form of interpretative contestation in which China prioritizes certain POC components over others and promotes hierarchical interpretations at the UN headquarters and field levels, thereby contesting the UN’s current interpretation that treats all components as equally important. This paper advances the understanding of how states leverage the inherent complexity and ambiguity of international norms to engage in contestation practices. It also provides a focused and up-to-date analysis of China’s contestation of POC.