Summary China’s Alternative Order | Foreign Affairs www.foreignaffairs.com
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Xi Jinping aims to reduce U.S. power, advance Chinese ideologies, and establish a "shared future" community through projects like the Belt and Road Initiative.
Slides
Slide Presentation (12 slides)
Key Points
- China's President Xi Jinping has an ambitious vision to remake the global order, seeking to dissolve U.S. alliances, purge "Western values" from international bodies, dethrone the U.S. dollar, and eliminate America's technological dominance
- China's initiatives - the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) - are presented as advancing an international consensus for a "community with a shared future for mankind"
- China's vision is built on four key programs: the BRI, GDI, GSI, and GCI, which aim to embed China's digital, health, and clean technology ecosystems globally, promote its development model, expand military and police reach, and advance the use of its currency
- China is working to get countries and international institutions to buy into its vision through striking deals with individual countries, integrating initiatives into multilateral organizations, and embedding proposals into global governance institutions
- The current U.S.-led international system is unpopular in much of the world, and the U.S. must act to provide a credible alternative before China's proposals become entrenched, by advancing an economic and technological revolution that transforms global landscapes in inclusive, sustainable ways
Summaries
24 word summary
Xi Jinping seeks to diminish U.S. influence, promote Chinese values, and build a "community with a shared future" through initiatives like Belt and Road.
55 word summary
Xi Jinping seeks to reshape the global order, diminishing U.S. influence and promoting Chinese values. Beijing's initiatives, including Belt and Road, aim to build a "community with a shared future." China is gaining buy-in through bilateral deals and embedding proposals into global governance. The U.S. must provide a credible alternative before China's proposals become entrenched.
125 word summary
China's President Xi Jinping seeks to reshape the global order, diminishing U.S. influence and promoting Chinese values. Beijing's initiatives, including the Belt and Road, Global Development, Security, and Civilization Initiatives, aim to build a "community with a shared future." These efforts expand beyond infrastructure, embedding China's digital, health, and clean tech ecosystems globally while advancing its development model and currency. China is gaining buy-in through bilateral deals, integrating initiatives into multilateral organizations, and embedding proposals into global governance. The current U.S.-led system is unpopular, failing to address global challenges. The U.S. must provide a credible alternative before China's proposals become entrenched, requiring a vision for inclusive, sustainable economic and technological transformation. Reforming global governance may also necessitate reassessing the dollar's dominance and U.S. sanctions policy.
332 word summary
China's President Xi Jinping seeks to reshape the global order, aiming to diminish U.S. influence, promote Chinese values, and advance China's economic and technological dominance. Beijing's initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), are presented as building a "community with a shared future for mankind."
The BRI is expanding beyond infrastructure to embed China's digital, health, and clean tech ecosystems globally, while also promoting China's development model and currency. The GDI positions China as a leader in global development through small-scale projects addressing poverty, connectivity, climate, and food security, prioritizing economic growth over human rights. The GSI aims to end U.S. alliances, establish security as a precondition for development, and promote absolute sovereignty. The GCI asserts that states, not individual countries, determine rights, challenging the Western-led human rights discourse.
China is working to gain buy-in through bilateral deals, integrating initiatives into multilateral organizations, and embedding proposals into global governance. The BRI serves as a model, with over 150 member countries advocating for China's framing values. China leverages its diplomatic resources, media networks, state-owned companies, and security apparatus to market these initiatives, with mixed results.
The current U.S.-led system is unpopular in much of the world, failing to address global challenges. The U.S. must provide a credible alternative before China's proposals become entrenched, which will require a vision for an economic and technological revolution that transforms global landscapes in inclusive, sustainable ways, integrating emerging and middle-income economies.
The U.S. should explore regional arrangements, leverage its private sector and civil society, and consider potential tradeoffs as other countries' power grows. Reforming global governance may also require a reassessment of the dollar's dominance and U.S. sanctions policy. To avoid unnecessary friction, the U.S. should continue to stabilize the U.S.-China relationship, defining new areas for cooperation and strategically managing its Taiwan policy. The foundations for reform are best found in the openness, transparency, rule of law, and official accountability of market democracies.
445 word summary
China's Ambitious Vision for a Transformed Global Order
Chinese President Xi Jinping seeks to reshape the global system, aiming to dissolve U.S. alliances, purge Western values from international bodies, dethrone the U.S. dollar, and undermine America's technological dominance. Xi envisions a multipolar order where global institutions and norms would be underpinned by Chinese notions of security, development, state-determined rights, and Chinese technology.
Beijing's initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), are presented as advancing a "community with a shared future for mankind." While often dismissed, these proposals are more formidable than they appear, empowering countries frustrated with the current order while still offering roles for U.S. allies.
China's four-pillar vision includes: 1. BRI: Expanding from infrastructure to embedding Beijing's digital, health, and clean tech ecosystems globally, promoting its development model, and advancing its currency. 2. GDI: Positioning China as a leader in global development through small-scale projects addressing poverty, connectivity, climate, and food security, advancing its preference for economic development over human rights. 3. GSI: Aiming to end U.S. alliances, establish security as a precondition for development, and promote absolute sovereignty and "indivisible security." 4. GCI: Asserting that states determine rights, with no single country having a mandate to control human rights discourse.
Beijing is working to gain buy-in through deals with individual countries, integrating initiatives into multilateral organizations, and embedding proposals into global governance. The BRI serves as a model, with over 150 member countries advocating for China's framing values.
China leverages its diplomatic resources, media networks, state-owned companies, and security apparatus to market its initiatives. While its record is mixed, with the GDI progressing and the GSI gaining rhetorical support, the BRI's influence may be plateauing.
The current U.S.-led system is unpopular in much of the world, failing to address global challenges. The U.S. must act to provide a credible alternative before China's proposals become entrenched. This will require a vision for an economic and technological revolution that transforms global landscapes in inclusive, sustainable ways, integrating emerging and middle-income economies.
The U.S. should explore regional arrangements, leverage its private sector and civil society, and consider potential tradeoffs as other countries' power grows. Reforming global governance may also require a reassessment of the dollar's dominance and U.S. sanctions policy.
To avoid unnecessary friction, the U.S. should continue to stabilize the U.S.-China relationship, defining new areas for cooperation and strategically managing its Taiwan policy. The foundations for reform are best found in the openness, transparency, rule of law, and official accountability of market democracies. It is up to the U.S. and its allies to create a compelling alternative to China's vision.
1212 word summary
China's Alternative Order: A Formidable Vision for a Transformed Global System
Beijing's Ambitious Vision Chinese President Xi Jinping has an undeniable ambition to remake the world order. He seeks to dissolve Washington's network of alliances, purge "Western values" from international bodies, dethrone the U.S. dollar, and eliminate America's technological dominance. In Xi's envisioned multipolar order, global institutions and norms would be underpinned by Chinese notions of common security, economic development, state-determined political rights, and Chinese technology. China would no longer have to fight for leadership - its centrality would be guaranteed.
Xi boasts that this transformed world is within reach, with China as a "confident, self-reliant, open and inclusive major country" leading the way in reforming the international system. Beijing's initiatives - the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) - are presented as advancing an international consensus for a "community with a shared future for mankind."
A Formidable Operational Strategy While often dismissed by U.S. officials, China's proposals are more formidable than they appear. The initiatives would empower countries frustrated by the current order, while still affording valuable international roles to states favored by Washington. Backed by comprehensive, well-resourced, and disciplined outreach, these techniques have gained Beijing newfound support, particularly in multilateral organizations and from non-democracies.
China is succeeding in portraying itself as an agent of welcome change, while casting the U.S. as the defender of an unpopular status quo. Rather than dismissing Beijing's playbook, U.S. policymakers should learn from it to win the long-term competition.
The Four Pillars of China's Vision China's vision is built on four key programs:
1. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): Initially a platform for infrastructure development, the BRI has expanded into an engine of Beijing's geostrategy - embedding its digital, health, and clean technology ecosystems globally, promoting its development model, expanding military and police reach, and advancing the use of its currency.
2. The Global Development Initiative (GDI): Placing China at the forefront of global development, the GDI supports small-scale projects addressing poverty, digital connectivity, climate change, and food security. It advances Beijing's preference for economic development as the foundation for human rights.
3. The Global Security Initiative (GSI): Positioned as a system for providing "Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions" to promote world peace, the GSI aims to end U.S. alliance systems, establish security as a precondition for development, and promote absolute sovereignty and "indivisible security."
4. The Global Civilization Initiative (GCI): Asserting that countries with different civilizations and development levels will have diverse political and economic models, the GCI claims that states determine rights, and no single country has a mandate to control human rights discourse.
China's Multilevel Outreach Strategy Beijing is working hard to get countries and international institutions to buy into its vision. Its strategy involves striking deals with individual countries, integrating initiatives into multilateral organizations, and embedding proposals into global governance institutions. The BRI serves as a model, with over 150 member countries openly advocating for China's framing values.
China has also successfully embedded the BRI in over two dozen UN agencies and programs, aligning it with the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The GDI, GSI, and GCI, though more nascent, have also gained rhetorical support from some leaders and organizations.
Leveraging Diplomatic Resources and Media Networks China invests heavily in the diplomatic resources necessary to market its initiatives. It has more embassies and representative offices globally than any other country, and Chinese diplomats frequently speak at conferences and publish articles in local media. This diplomatic apparatus is supported by expansive Chinese media networks, which can advance a positive image of China and its leadership.
Beijing also draws on the strength of state-owned companies and the private sector to promote its objectives. Chinese technology firms not only provide digital connectivity but also enable states to emulate elements of Beijing's political model, including techniques for controlling media and information.
China has further enhanced its strategy by boosting the role of its security apparatus as a diplomatic tool. The People's Liberation Army conducts exercises with a growing number of countries and offers training to militaries worldwide, helping create the collaborative security system Beijing desires.
A Mixed Record, but Significant Momentum While China has made progress in gaining rhetorical buy-in, its record in effecting actual change is more mixed. The GDI is well on its way, with 20% of initial projects completed and 200 more proposed. The GSI has achieved greater rhetorical support, but has had less success in resolving conflicts like the war in Ukraine. The BRI has transformed the geostrategic and economic landscape in many regions, but its influence may be plateauing, with declining financing and struggling recipient countries.
Public opinion polls paint a similarly nuanced picture. Middle-income economies, particularly in Africa and Latin America, are more likely to have positive views of China, but even in these regions, popular support is far from uniform. Surveys suggest widespread concern over China's rising influence and preference for alignment with the United States.
Support for China's initiatives within the United Nations is also mixed. While Beijing has won some votes, it has faced rejection on issues like the condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Need for a U.S. Response The current, U.S.-led international system is unpopular in much of the world, failing to adequately address global challenges. Many countries believe the system does not reflect the world's distribution of power and is incapable of resolving conflicts.
Even if China's vision is not fully realized, the U.S. must act to provide a credible alternative before Beijing's proposals become entrenched. The U.S. should position itself as a force for system change, acknowledging the need for transformation while making clear that this does not signal American decline.
The U.S. vision should advance an economic and technological revolution that transforms global landscapes in inclusive, sustainable ways. This will require new norms and institutions that integrate emerging and middle-income economies into resilient supply chains, innovation networks, and data governance regimes.
Washington should explore regional arrangements akin to the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, bringing in a broader range of countries, including members of the BRICS and SCO. The U.S. should also leverage its private sector and civil society to drive international partnerships, fostering vibrant, state-initiated but business-and-civil-society-driven initiatives.
Reforming global governance will also require the U.S. to consider potential tradeoffs as other countries' economies and militaries grow relative to its own. This may include a clearer delineation of the limits of U.S. sanctions policy and a reassessment of the long-term viability of the dollar's dominance.
To avoid unnecessary friction, the U.S. should continue to stabilize the U.S.-China relationship, defining new areas for cooperation, expanding civil society engagement, and strategically managing its Taiwan policy. This will enable the U.S. to maintain relations with those in China concerned about their country's trajectory, while focusing on building up its economic and military capabilities and moving forward with its global vision.
The international system does need reform, but the foundations for that reform are best found in the openness, transparency, rule of law, and official accountability that are the hallmarks of the world's market democracies. It is up to the U.S. and its allies and partners to create a compelling alternative to China's vision.