The 7th Issue of RUC Perspectives, NADS

The overall rise of the non-Western world led by China’s revitalization has brought about once-in–a-blue-moon historical changes to world political and economic structures. As a country that does not generate chaos or export ideology and advocates peace, stability and economic development, China has become the most positive and constructive force in Asian and African regions and the rest of the world and will surely drive the further reconstruction of global order in the 21st century. If the world historical line is extended at 1,000 years, China’s current development and strength is more of “revitalization” than “rise”, meaning this country is recovering its status in the East Asia and its due share in the world. Obviously, China’s revitalization has shaken the hegemony system led by the US. Meanwhile, it has also provided opportunities for countries that are willing to deepen cooperation with China. At the same time, China’s revitalization is in the same era of development line with the overall rise of the non-Western world, and global key production activities and layout of international division of labor are all transferring to the non-Western world. Currently, China is building a comprehensive multilateral cooperation and coordination mechanism and promoting the “OBOR” strategy and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank project. Such efforts will drive forward the reconstruction of world economic plates. As history advances, global power and wealth distribution structures will possibly, in a gradual manner, recover to the historical normal long before the Western world rose.

Western countries feel quite “anxious” about the potential chaos and conflicts caused by the reconstruction of global order. Such “anxiety” exactly reflects the psychology under the idea of “Western Centrism”. Currently, the hegemony system controlled by the US and the legal system driven by Western Europe have already been in lots of crises and are even sliding to the end of the alley, causing various out-of-control situations in global governance. For the future evolution of global order, China’s revitalization and the overall rise of the non-Western world will likely send global order into a long reform and reconstruction period. But, it is highly possible that we will see a more equal, mutually beneficial, diversified and fair global order in which China is surely to create a brand-new world leader model. China’s mass, development environment and especially its cultural genes make it impossible to be another Western hegemony seeker. As a new leader, China needs to stick to principles and come up with strategies. While selectively blending into the norms and systems led by the West, China should also expand new mutually beneficial cooperation space with non-Western countries, which requires China to possess leader’s wisdom and elites from all sectors of the Chinese society to make full mental and knowledge preparations.

The 7th Issue of Ideas and Comments, NADS: China’s Role in Global Order Reconstruction in the 21st Century