During the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, which began on September 21, the United States still aimed at advancing a new Cold War with China. Accordingly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sounded warns that “Now is the time to restore trust and now is the time to inspire hope.” Echoing Guterres’ remarks, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated that “We must improve global governance and practice true multilateralism.”
It is true that since the United Nations was founded in 1945, the world has recognized only one international system that acts with the UN at its core. Even during the Cold War in which the world order was dominated by the bipolarity, they never ignored the basic law and the norms governing international relations and the principles of the UN Charter. Put it simply, China argues that the UN should chart the course for the future of the world where it is necessary to ensure a stable international order and to serve the essential interests of developing countries in international affairs and taking the lead in advancing multilateralism which are truly delivered to all countries rather than creating a “small clique” in line of ideology.
The rationales behind China’s support for multilateralism and collective security based on common interests are the keys to understand the Chinese foreign policy and the relevant behaviors including the efforts to advance the “Belt & Road Initiative” and international community for shared future. Culturally and politically, China has always endorsed the equilibrium among nations in international system in the name of great harmony. Henry Kissinger once said, according to the Chinese tradition, “Great Harmony requires keeping the existing cosmic order in joint and maintain the equilibrium between man, heaven and nature.”
The Chinese Communists are equally obliged to making all progresses motivated by economic and technological drives. During the early years of the PRC, the leadership in Beijing were sincere to “unite the world’s people” to safeguard the peace that served China’s security and development. One of the classic strategies of China used in the geopolitical game is “to prevent strategic encirclement while making necessary rapprochement with the superior adversary if needed. The bottom line is that China should never act alone in struggle for power, profits and prestige.
Internationally, China has advocated it necessary for all nations jointly to aim at that “peace would reign over the world and international community enjoys the equality and reciprocity.” Now with the rapid rise of China as the second largest economies in the world, Beijing has been keen on “going out” in light of multilateralism. According to John Ruggie, multilateralism refers to coordinating relations among three or more states in accordance with some principles or shared interests. But what precisely are those principles? And to what precisely do those principles pertain? A collective security scheme certainly acts coordinating security relations among three or more sides likes the League of Nations, the United Nations and the NATO which has been led by the United States since it has frequently invoked the collective security model. As Robert Keokane argued that multilateralism depicts generic institutional form which coordinates relations among three or more states on the basis of “generalized” principles of conduct in international affairs.
However, although the United States has been the leading power since the WWII to promote the collective security through holding multilateralism, it has been equally paranoid to control other states’ internal affairs. Hoffmann once put it that ideologically the Washington administration has been extremely against the so-called foes like the Communism or totalitarianism. Technically, they are also keen at “quick fix” approach without thinking properly of the results. Now seeing China as a strategic competitor in the 21st century, the United States has been pondering over how to make history again like the Cold War wherein its adversary—the Soviet Union—was doomed to fail without fighting. Given this, Washington has advocated a new Cold War with China which would be supposed to follow the footstep of the previous Soviet Communists. To that end, the United States has steadily forged the Quad security dialogue and a more military alliance with Britain and Australia which is dubbed as the AUKUS, a new mentality of the Anglo-Saxon axis. During his meeting with the leaders from the countries involved, President Biden has unveiled plans for more extensive cooperation on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. Although China was not mentioned anywhere in the statement, the Quad and AUKUS have taken a rising Chinese threat seriously, aggressively and even provocatively.
Given this scenario, China has consistently appealed to the world to “practice true multilateralism” without any exception. China holds that a democratic and equitable world order is essential to the promotion and protection of human rights. This requires that all parties uphold fairness and justice, firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and the world order underpinned by international law. Economically and politically, all nations should pursue win-win cooperation, conduct dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Obviously, it is imperative to achieve universal security through cooperation and promote common development and prosperity. Intellectually, all nations should remain open and inclusive, respect the diversity of civilizations and the development paths independently chosen by countries, and refrain from imposing one’s own social system and model on others or creating division and confrontation. If the UN Charter is seen as a world constitution, and if all states do their part to implement the UN’s agenda, we can have peace and prosperity.
China aims to play a responsible stake-holder in a globalized world. As a part and parcel of world civilization, China has contributed to political, economic and social values of the world. Facing the challenges from the United States which has kept using sanctions to rein in China and Russia to comply with a rules-based world order, what China really needs are to make China more prosperous, inclusive and open to the world. As Chinese leader reiterates that China can’t reach its national greatness in isolation from the world, but an increasingly rise of China is sure to render tremendous public goods to the world’s peace, security and sustainable development.
To those ends, multilateralism should be seen as not only a core concept but also a key principle in China’s foreign relations.
