Chapter 6 parses the explanatory factors that account role as a constrainer and taker in the human rights regime.It also explores Beijing’s cooperation with other-like minded countries as a secondary influence on its behavior.It argues that the two most prominent explanatory variables were the CCP-government’s antipathy for scrutiny of its record and its preexisting ideas that stressed state sovereignty and local conditions, which caused Beijing to take positions that limited the authority and scope of the human rights regime.At the same time, I show that image concerns had an important restraining effect, inclining the PRC toward more cooperative stances.

The concluding chapter reviews China’s constrainer and taker roles and discusses the implications of my findings.I consider the relevance of my findings regarding China’s rise, its behavior within international regimes more generally and the fate of the human rights regime.I argue that the continued strength of image concerns as a moderating influence will be crucial in determining Beijing’s future role in international regimes.Although I demonstrate that the PRC and other nations, especially countries belonging to the Like-Minded Group, contested various elements of the human rights regime, the regime’s lack of meaningful sanctions, means that these countries may be less inclined to mount a challenge but are likely to block efforts to strengthen the regime.