The world order, led by the United States and the West, is trembling because of China’s initiative and diplomacy, attempting to reconcile persistent world conflicts. The US and the West grow nervous about Xi Jinping’s maneuvers, as he confidently presents himself as a peacemaker in intricate conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
In addition, Xi Jinping is pursuing his infrastructure financing policy in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific regions. What is Mr. Xi’s real objective with these maneuvers? Is China serious about building a multipolar world, with China as one of the leaders? What is Xi’s next step in realizing his ambition for global power?
The Economist and China’s policies
The Economist, a magazine passionate about the American and Western-led world order, published an article titled The World According to Xi on March 23, 2023.
It highlights China’s foreign policy changes and ambition to calibrate the current world order as posing a grave danger to the Western-led world order.
The Economist’s cynical view of China is perfectly understandable, as Western countries’ supremacy does indeed seem threatened by China’s foreign policy moves. However, does China’s ambition imply that it will not allow space for Western leadership in the future?
Eastern criticism of Western dominance
After winning the Second World War in 1945, the US and the West have been recognized as the creator of a more just world order, because they aspire to build a better and more prosperous world than existed in previous empires, which nakedly exploited many peoples through European colonial regimes.
The US became a leading country that supported democracy, human rights and conflict resolution, by promoting the rule of law, freedom and rationality. However, this idealistic vision of the US and the West was tarnished, after the US invaded Iraq 20 years ago. This invasion was a game changer in how America’s idealistic vision turned into a vision of domination and coercion by a strong nation over a weak one.
Since that time, the remainder of the world appraises the “leadership” of the US and the Western world order as replete with double standards and hypocrisy, relentlessly favoring Western over Eastern ones.
China and Russia highlight the Western world order’s double standards
Russia and China have been scrutinizing the US leadership from a distance, in a pacifying tone, as they lacked the power to challenge it 20 years ago. But now, in 2023, the tables have turned. Russia held a summit in Moscow, proposing to build a fairer world order by emphasizing a balance in Eastern Values.
Russia and China have also made BRICS a contender with the G7 as a counterbalance to Western powers in investment and financing. Both countries are striving to influence others to create a balanced global vision, without the oppressive domination of Western values. They even set their own vision of universal human rights that differs from Western-style universal human rights such as supporting LGBTQ+, something inconsistent with Russia’s orthodox religious values and China’s eastern religions.
China believes 2023 will be a year when the world order will be adjusted and reset into a fairer and just manner.
Xi’s policies to win the hearts of the East
China’s recent moves should be perceived as efforts to win over the global community and improve China’s reputation, particularly in African, Middle East and Pacific regions. Its first step was to build stronger ties with Russia.
China and Russia have successfully convinced each other of the importance of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. China does not criticize Russia for Putin’s move to acquire six Ukrainian territories. China invites the world to build a Ukrainian-Russian narrative of peace, by establishing a neutral zone between the two countries.
China also hopes to resolve the Taiwan conflict with a similar approach, by not making Taiwan a border crisis that seeks protection from foreign powers.
After forming an alliance with Russia, the next step is to win the hearts of the East. However, this step was delayed, a victim of COVID-19. China decided to self-isolate and implement a Zero-COVID policy, which set back its plan to appeal to the East by two years.
After COVID-19 subsided, China expedited its policy to appeal to the East. For example, on March 10, 2023, it mediated tensions between two fierce rivals, Iran and Saudi Arabia – its first intervention to win the hearts of the Middle East.
Iran and Saudi Arabia welcomed Beijing’s peace initiative, which they did not find from Washington, Brussels or London in the last 20 years, especially after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
China’s peace initiative is not improvisation but ideologization
China also offered peace initiatives to Syria and other Islamic states in the Middle East. Syria and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) finally re-opened diplomatic relations and agreed to establish mutually-profitable economic relations.
The conflicts in the region have strained the economies of all Middle Eastern countries. Thus, an exhausted Middle East found it acceptable to agree to the peace initiative. The world also commended China’s initiative. Nevertheless, the West and its ally, Israel, were not happy. Any coalition of Middle Eastern countries can weaken Israel’s position and eventually neuter the West’s interests in the Middle East.
After the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative – an infrastructure financing project for developing countries – was considered a success, China launched a new initiative on March 15, 2023, called the Global Civilization Initiative. This initiative proposes that countries must refrain from imposing their values or models on other countries, a move that can trigger an ideological confrontation. This initiative was warmly welcomed by the East.
China’s endeavors to win the hearts of the East have become easier. Peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Syria and OIC countries, will be followed by China’s massive infrastructure and economic financing in the Middle East. China will control scores of new oil resources and access to markets in the region.
China’s next step is to propose a reconciliation initiative between Ukraine and Russia, as a prolonged war has been hurting both countries’ economies. China accused NATO as the only party wishing the war to persist. Ukraine may be interested in China’s peace initiatives as it has become weary of begging arms from the West – too little and too late while live continued to be lost in the country.
China wished to demonstrate to the world how massive the West’s hegemony has become. China believes the current world order only serves the West’s interests and does not allow space for other powers.
However, it seems that China is not merely showing the weakness of the current world order, but wishes as well to build a world that is safer for its ideology and the Communist Party.
China’s economic support for a country ignores the attitude of the ruling country’s elites, whether they provide domestic justice or are cruel oppressors. China supports whoever the ruling elites, are as long as they can help China’s economy grow more prosperous. That is China’s transactional approach, one that has been practiced in many countries.
Xi Jinping’s long-term goals
Mr. Xi has met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a supporter of a multipolar world system. The two leaders concurred that the Western double standard regarding international law and human rights is unsustainable.
Xi Jinping is offering a model of an alternative global civilization, with a concept of a global society that benefits all instead of just one party.
Unquestionably, this offer will appeal to the global community, other than the West. However, is there any guarantee that when developing countries are liberated from Western domination, they will not become ensnared in the yet another domination – Chinese oppression?
Achmad Nur Hidayat, Public Policy Expert and CEO of Narasi Institute
