China's Dangerous Quest for a New World Order

 

China under Xi Jinping is aggressively pursuing a radical reshaping of the global order to serve its authoritarian model and narrow interests. This poses grave risks to the free world and international stability.

China's Vision

Xi Jinping has called for developing nations to join China in leading an overhaul of the international system, urging a "more balanced and effective" global governance system. China's long-term goal is a system centered on state sovereignty that aligns with its economic interests and security priorities.

This vision clashes with the Western liberal order based on universal values and norms. China advocates for a system that could undermine efforts to protect human rights and settle international disputes. Its emphasis on state sovereignty could qualify countries' territorial sovereignty based on China's "legitimate security concerns", undermining the current system of sovereign equality.

Promoting Authoritarianism

China is expanding its influence through organizations like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) that include authoritarian states and are not based on liberal values[3]. This could embolden authoritarian regimes and make the international system more accommodating to non-democratic governments.

Geopolitical Disorder

China's assertiveness is provoking pushback from the U.S. and allies, heightening geopolitical tensions and the risk of conflict. The most likely outcome is increased global disorder rather than a stable new China-led order.

China's efforts to reshape global governance threaten to undermine human rights, embolden authoritarianism, diminish sovereignty, and increase geopolitical disorder - posing significant risks for democratic nations. The current system, while imperfect, remains the best offer on the table.

Undermining the Rules-Based Order

China has invested an estimated $1 trillion throughout the Global South, mainly via its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). While welcomed by some, BRI also faces pushback from a world wary of China's rise and intentions.

China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal and other strategic military capabilities to provide a counterbalance against the U.S. and its allies. This is driven by Xi's belief that demonstrating stronger strategic power can compel the West to accept China's rise

Incoherent Vision

China simultaneously promotes both its right to define human rights and the inviolability of state sovereignty, which is incoherent. It's unclear if enough countries will accept China's model of diminished territorial sovereignty qualified by its "legitimate security concerns"

While China is actively working to reshape global governance, it faces significant obstacles in fully supplanting the Western liberal order with its own coherent vision. The result may be a more fragmented and disordered international system in the near-term

China's efforts to remake the global order in its image pose serious threats to the free world. Democratic nations must stand firm in defending the rules-based international system and universal values that have underpinned decades of peace and prosperity. Allowing China to dictate the terms of global governance would be a dangerous gamble with the future of freedom.