China advocates for the equal and orderly multipolarisation of the world and inclusive, universally beneficial economic globalisation. Equal and orderly multipolarisation entails insisting on the equality of all countries regardless of their size, the genuine promotion of democracy in international relations and opposition to hegemony and power politics, Wang Yiwei writes. The article is specially prepared for the 16th Asian Conference of the Valdai Club.
To ensure that the multipolarisation process remains generally stable and constructive, it is essential to collectively abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, adhere to the universally recognised basic norms of international relations, and practice true multilateralism. This is yet another typical example of China providing answers to the questions of our times.
Western scholars and officials have repeatedly asked: What kind of multipolarisation does China aim to promote? Is multipolarisation necessarily good? This is because, based on their historical experience, multipolarisation could lead to instability or even conflict. In their view, peace is merely an interval between wars, and a multipolar balance is only transient, occasional, and exceptional.
China proposes building equal and orderly multipolarity precisely because Western-dominated multipolarisation is neither equal nor orderly. Why has multipolarity historically been neither equal nor orderly?
First, the underlying tones of monotheistic determinism and Western-centrism have shaped a civilisational form in Western international relations that is both self-centred and self-righteous. Their so-called universal values are a modern interpretation of Christian monotheism. Determinism has given rise to theories such as the clash of civilisations and the end of history, upholding a linear theory of evolution and self-righteously proclaiming the "end of history".
Precisely because of their self-centeredness, the international politics spoken of by the West is not truly global politics. Today, Western political dominance in global governance exhibits phenomena such as first-mover advantage, rule lock-in, and path dependency, which have provoked considerable dissatisfaction among the countries of the Global South.
Western multilateralism is an order led by the United States and the West, based on alliance systems and engaging in exclusive value-based politics. In recent years, they have even promoted an “international order based on rules”, attempting to use so-called "rules" to compensate for a lack of strength in the new international landscape.
Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, complained at last year's UN General Assembly that “the world is becoming more multipolar, but multilateralism is weakening,” meaning that multipolarity has added China but squeezed Europe's international influence, and that multipolarity does not reflect EU norms.
Second, the axiom that human nature is inherently evil. The Christian doctrine of original sin, reflected at the level of human nature, holds that human nature is inherently evil and power is inherently evil. Thus, checking power with power has become the golden rule in the Western world. The selfishness of human nature has deduced the exclusivity of national interests, a state of anarchy, and an international system based on self-help.
Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment movements liberated human nature from divinity, and the Thirty Years' War gave rise to our concept of statehood and other modern international relations concepts.
This is the starting point of realist international relations theory: human nature is evil, hence power is evil. The amplification of human nature led to the amplification of the state, resulting in external expansion, plunder, and colonisation.
This produced the basic logic of realist international relations theory: pursuing security through power and seeking interests through strength. The self-centred Western mindset determines that the West prefers to engage in minilateralism or multilateralism dominated by a single superpower.
The EU's motto is "unity in diversity," which appears similar to China's "harmony in diversity" but differs in essence. Furthermore, as human civilisation moves from being industrial and commercial to being digital and ecological, the West has shown a degree of maladaptation, which is one of the implications of the great changes unseen in a century.
Therefore, China must not only respond to changes in the world landscape dominated by the West but also take on more responsibility for leading the transformation of human civilisation. This is the proper meaning of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and the historical responsibility of creating a new form of international political civilisation.
In a nutshell, what the West refers to as international relations is primarily relations within the West, incapable of escape historical cycles. Faced with the rise of the non-Western world, they have voiced theories such as the China threat, the tragedy of great power politics, and the Thucydides Trap.
Fundamentally, Western international relations cannot accommodate the rise of the non-Western world and the accompanying great changes unseen in a century. The hierarchical structure and confrontational inequality caused by the historical cycle of Western international relations represent the multipolarity of the old form of civilisation.
What we emphasise today is equal, introverted, and peaceful international relations—an equal and orderly multipolarity that conforms to the principle of from-inner-to-outer, meaning only sound domestic governance can prevent troubles from spilling over and the creation of negative externalities.
Western international relations are a logical extension of their domestic relations—that of competition. From the original civilisation of scarcity to the modern expansive Christian civilisation, combined with the expansion of capital in the era of globalisation, this inevitably leads to a conflicted and disorderly multipolarity.
In summary, "equality" aims to address both the issue of unequal dependencies within the system and the problem of de facto sovereign equality becoming empty talk due to capacity disparities. "Order" seeks to address not only the post-war international order based on the purposes of the UN Charter and international law but also the issues of inadequate representation of Global South countries, which account for over 80% of the world's population, in the international community, as well as the insufficient authority and effectiveness of the United Nations. The order it aspires to reach is a community with a shared future for mankind, guided by the I Ching's ideal of “a group of dragons without a leader”, which upholds true multilateralism.
