Is China becoming a cheapskate at the United Nations? As the country of over 1.4 billion people increases its muscle-flexing on the world stage, that swagger comes with more financial responsibilities at the world body. Apparently, it also comes with a dose of frugality, our U.N. correspondent Colum Lynch reports.

Earlier last month, Beijing proposed cutting more than $150 million from the U.N.’s $6.83 billion peacekeeping budget proposal for 2023/2024, according to an internal U.N. budget spreadsheet that Colum reviewed.

In doing so, it joined the ranks of the fiscally hawkish Americans, although China’s budget battles have more to do with eliminating posts that promote human rights, gender equality, and victims’ rights (neither the U.S. nor China succeeded in slashing the budget, by the way).

“They are absolutely obsessed with cutting,” says one U.N.-based diplomat involved in budget negotiations. “Their concern is now one of a major contributor, which is reducing to the extent you can the level of your contribution.”

The spending squabbling came to a head over the amount of money it will take to evacuate U.N. personnel from Mali, where the government recently kicked out all peacekeepers.

The U.S. and European partners wanted more money and time to close shop than did China and Russia. In the end they settled on a Goldilocks compromise — for some it was too much money, for others it was far too little.