Unpacking Xi’s blueprint

The above quote of President Xi reflects his deep insight about the issues which the world is grappling since long. What President XI has been emphasising about a world based on inclusive and not exclusive characteristics reminds one what the former American President George H. Bush remarked after the end of the cold war in 1991. In his speech before the U.S Congress in March 1991, President Bush outlined his vision about the world following the collapse of bipolar world, the defeat of Iraq in the Gulf war and the collapse of the Berlin Wall. He talked about a world with shared values, interests and responsibilities. Yet, President Xi’s vision of the world is comprehensive in nature as he talked about a stable world order based on global security initiative, global development initiative and global civilisation initiatives. All the three initiatives reflected Xi’s vision of a world based on peace, stability and inclusive development in which the global south gets a better share in resources, technology and wealth.

As the world’s second largest economy with Xi’s path breaking initiative for global connectivity the form of build and road initiative (BRI) China is determined to play a leadership role both in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS. How President Xi’s vision for an inclusive, peaceful and stable world will have an impact on global order in the years to come and to what extent the U.S led world order will try to resist what America terms China’s power ambitions? How the Sino-Russian nexus will give an impetus to Xi’s vision for shared future of mankind? Can China provide a leadership role in the diminishing state of the U.S led world order? Counter offensive on the part of the U.S against recently held BRICS summit in Johannesburg was led by President Joseph Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan by augmenting funding for the developing world through World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

"Right now, changes in the world, in our times and in history are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture. Enhance Solidarity and Cooperation to Overcome Risks and Challenges and Jointly Build a Better World. Should we pursue cooperation and integration, or just succumb to division and confrontation? Should we work together to maintain peace and stability, or just sleepwalk into the abyss of a new Cold War? Should we embrace prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, or allow hegemonic and bullying acts to throw us into depression? Should we deepen mutual trust through exchanges and mutual learning, or allow hubris and prejudice to blind conscience? The course of history will be shaped by the choices we make”.

Elaborating his vision for a better, secure and inclusive world, President Xi narrated in his speech before BRICS conference on August 23, 2023 that: "Right now, changes in the world, in our times and in history are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture. Should we pursue cooperation and integration, or just succumb to division and confrontation? Should we work together to maintain peace and stability, or just sleepwalk into the abyss of a new Cold War? Should we embrace prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, or allow hegemonic and bullying acts to throw us into depression? Should we deepen mutual trust through exchanges and mutual learning, or allow hubris and prejudice to blind conscience? The course of history will be shaped by the choices we make. Our world today has become a community with a shared future in which we all share a huge stake of survival, Xi said, noting that what people in various countries long for is definitely not a new Cold War or a small exclusive bloc; what they want is an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys enduring peace, universal security and common prosperity." Ruling out intervention in other countries, Xi maintained that such an attitude and policy is not in our DNA. Since 1979, China has consistently pursued a policy of non-interference in the affairs of foreign countries. The last time when China invaded a neighboring country was Vietnam when the then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping was in power.

The Chinese invasion of Vietnam in January 1979 led to a war between two neighboring countries, a fact which compelled China to learn lessons with a resolve not to interfere or intervene in any foreign country in future. Deng’s open door policy to boost Chinese economy and transform his country as an economic power house had a vision and determination. He understood the fact that if China wants to emerge as a great power, it should concentrate on its economic progress and development instead of pursuing a policy of intervention. Deng’s thoughts were put forward by President Xi in his BRI project focusing on connectivity through roads and railways.

In the recently held BRICS conference, President Xi in his speech which was read by his commerce minister made it clear that, "We need to promote development and prosperity for all," Xi said, adding that with perseverance, hard work and huge sacrifices, many emerging markets and developing countries succeeded in gaining independence, and "everything we do is to deliver better lives to our people. Every country has the right to development, and the people in every country have the freedom to pursue a happy life," Xi said, noting that China will work with all other countries to speed up cooperation under the Global Development Initiative, meet common challenges together and make life better for people across the world.” That, we need to achieve universal security and only a commitment to a new vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security can lead to universal security. China stands ready to jointly pursue the Global Security Initiative with all others, have dialogue and oppose confrontation, forge partnership but not alliance, and pursue win-win outcome and oppose zero-sum game, and work together to build a community of security. Ostensibly refereeing to a Harvard University Professor Samuel P. Hungtington’s theory of Clash of Civilisation Xi maintained that, "We need to stay committed to exchanges among civilisations and mutual learning that human civilisation is colorful by nature, and deliberately creating division with the assertion of democracy versus authoritarianism" and "liberalism versus autocracy" can only split the world and lead to clash of civilisations.” Cooperation and not clash among civilisations is Xi’s vision for a better world.

Seemingly, President Xi Jinping tends to present his ideas for a peaceful, stable and inclusive world arguing that human energy must be used for constructive instead of destructive ways. Furthering the work of Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye on Soft Power, what President Xi outlines in its vision about the world is most relevant to present a Chinese perspective on soft power focusing on diplomacy, trade, aid, development and human security. China is the only country in contemporary world which practically adheres to soft power, instead of hard power particularly since January 1979 because when it attacked Vietnam it decided to strictly follow a policy of non-interference and non-intervention.

Xi’s vision for a community based on shared interests and destiny is one decade old because “since the notion to promote a sense of community of shared destiny for mankind” was first introduced at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in November 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has expounded on the notion on a number of occasions. These included a speech entitled “Working Together to Forge a New Partnership of Win-win Cooperation and Create a Community of Shared Future for Mankind” during the general debate of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly on September 28, 2015, a keynote speech entitled “Work Together to Build a Community of Shared Future for Mankind” made at the United Nations Office in Geneva on January 18, 2017, and, more recently, his work report delivered at the 19th CPC National Congress on October 18, 2017, when “building a community with a shared future for mankind” was enshrined as one of the core concepts and basic policies guiding Chinese diplomacy in the new era. A Community of Shared Future: More Than a New Foreign Policy Doctrine The vision of human beings as a community of shared future has been codified as an integral part of President Xi’s thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era.” Finally, Xi focused the ideas about shared future in his speech during BRICS conference held in Johannesburg on August 23, 2023. In order to transform his vision into a reality, “President Xi outlined a five-pronged approach composed of political, security, economic, cultural, and ecological  in his work report to the 19th CPC National Congress, as he called for the creation of a community with a shared future for mankind, an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity.” Furthermore, it is advocated by President Xi that “in the political dimension of a community of shared future for humanity is a sovereign equality-based world where disputes are settled through dialogue, and peace is built upon partnerships rather than enforced through military alliances or political coercion”.

Referring to the significance of human civilisation, President Xi maintained in his BRICS speech that, “China welcomes all other countries to get involved in cooperation under the Global Civilisation Initiative, promote the common values of humanity, encourage different civilisations to bring out their best and flourish together, and renew human civilisation. The collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries represented by BRICS is fundamentally changing the global landscape whatever resistance there may be, BRICS, a positive and stable force for good, will continue to grow. We will forge stronger BRICS strategic partnership, expand the 'BRICS Plus' model, actively advance membership expansion, deepen solidarity and cooperation with other emerging markets and developing countries, promote global multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations, and help make the international order more just and equitable.” China is now world’s second populous country after India and its annual economic growth rate is 5.6% and its GDP is expanding 6.3% a year with foreign exchange reserves of 3.2 trillion dollars and its GDP of 18 trillion dollars. With remarkable progress called as the ‘great leap forward’ in just one generation China was able to pull 800 million people from poverty level.

Xi’s vision for a better world needs to be analysed from four angles. First, in the realm of international order the Chinese President expressed his rejection of a unipolar world as called for an inclusive global system in which hegemony and domination must be rejected. From a realistic standpoint, Xi’s vision for a multipolar, fair and just world order is idealistic in nature because it militates against the reality of power politics. Yet, Xi’s clarity, commitment and consistency in advocating peaceful, stable and just world order reflects the voice of the majority of countries who are not supportive to the U.S led unipolar world.

Will President Xi’s vision about the future world order succeed or be a non-starter in the first place? While China along with Russia can hope to challenge the U.S led world order, the reality on the ground is different because it is not only the U.S but the entire West which is united in the form of a loose alliance. It is not only Group of Seven (G-7) which represents powerful countries of the West but the United States has co-opted other countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Philippines and Thailand in what is termed as anti-Chinese alliance. And there is also QUAD, a loose associated composed of United States, India, Australia and Japan to challenge Chinese influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Second, Xi’s vision for a better world while reflecting the aspirations of global south lacks capability in the short run to transform into a reality. West’s edge in financial, military and technological arenas is undeniable and it will take China and other likeminded countries several years to bridge the gap as far as West’s supremacy in technology is concerned. Conflicts within developing countries are a major impediment for giving an impetus to Xi’s vision for a new world order. And not all countries representing global south are anti-American or anti-West and have close relations with technologically, financially and militarily strong developed world.

It is true that China for years was colonised by several western powers and Japan and was dubbed as lazy and opium ridden country with marginal capability to compete with the powerful imperial Japan and the West. But the great October revolution of 1949 in China which under the leadership of Chairman Mao Tse Tung paved the way for waking up the sleeping giant and paving the way for the great leap forward in terms of surge in its economy, development and poverty alleviation cannot be undermined. Within one generation i.e. since 1979, the sise of Chinese economy quadrupled and by 2010 it emerged as the world’s second largest economy. When China surfaced as the core of global south and its enormous economic clout emerged as a reality even for the West, Beijing under the leadership of President Xi Jinping decided to play a vital role for an alternate world order based on inclusive and not exclusive characteristics.

Third, China also knows the fact that the West as a formidable challenger to its growing power will try to exploit its fault lines like Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan and what the United States calls Beijing’s poor track record of human rights. China is not a democracy in the classical sense and has one-party system. Furthermore, contradictory in nature China is a Communist country because of monopoly of power by the Chinese Communist Party but its economy is capitalistic which is contrary to the ideology of Communism. Yet, it is the strength of Chinese economy and its control over governance which tends to overshadow its fault lines. When the West is unable to compete with China at the international level because of President Xi’s vision for an inclusive, developed, peaceful and secure world, it will attempt to exploit domestic issues of China so that its enemy is destabilised.

It may be a wishful thinking on the part of the U.S led west to exploit fault lines in China to destabilise that economically powerful and successful country. Yet, it all depends on the unity of Communist Party of China with its people and the firmness of grip of President Xi on the power apparatus. If the people of China are satisfied with the vision and performance of President Xi, it will be rather impossible for the U.S to target Beijing and weaken its position in global affairs. Finally, China’s road to success and its ambition to strive for a multipolar world may be fraught with difficulties and impediments but it all depends on how dynamic the Chinese leadership under President Xi is and to what extent it is capable to sustain and enhance its power. So far China has managed to put its house in order and its future success also depends on how well its leadership performance in economy, governance and rule of law.

A major contribution of Chinese leadership is to focus on Research & Development (R&D) by promoting science, technology and excellence in research. Institutions reflecting China’s image as a soft power and matching with the West in terms of technology can be termed as a priority for the Chinese leadership. The vision of President Xi for the 21st century very well articulates his confidence that if 19th century was Pax Britannica, 20th century was Pax America then 21st century will be Pax Asiana. There are two giants in Asia: China and India and both are in SCO, BRICS and G-20. China’s leadership role in Pax Asiana is unquestionable but is contested by India. New Delhi argues that now India is world’s most populous country and will soon be third largest economy. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while delivering a speech from Red Fort Delhi on the occasion of his country’s 76th Independence Day on August 15 this year predicted that by 2047 India will be the world’s first largest economy. It may be a wishful thinking on the part of Indian Prime Minister to make such a prediction particularly when China is now planning to overtake the United States as the world’s number one economy. Whatever may be the shape of the world in coming few decades, conflict between India and China on strengthening their respective roles in the Asia-Pacific region will shape the future world order. If President Xi remains in power for another five years and faces no cogent challenge to his leadership, one can expect Beijing to make further inroads in global affairs through its BRI projects and leave a mark on civilisational discourse in the world today. President Xi stressed that “to have a community with a shared future for mankind is not to replace one system or civilisation with another. Instead, it is about countries with different social systems, ideologies, histories, cultures, and levels of development coming together for shared interests, shared rights, and shared responsibilities in global affairs, and creating the greatest synergy for building a better world”.

Global appreciation of Xi’s perceptions on a new international order based on shared commitments with inclusive and not exclusive development cannot be undermined. Except the United States and its hardcore allies, most of global personalities endorse President Xi’s vision. For instance, Stjepan Mesic, who served as Croatian president from 2000 to 2010, said that “Xi's vision for the world is "filled with the belief that a better future for humanity can be achieved through a shared future based on equal partnership and dialogue, and by pursuing green and low-carbon development". Mesic, who has met with Xi and read Xi's books, said he firmly believes that the Chinese president's domestic and international policies have always been committed to providing good and stable life for people in China and around the world. He noted that Beijing has been working intensively for greater democracy in international relations, and China's grand strategy for building a community with a shared future for mankind is in sharp contrast to the geopolitical strategies of other global powers".

For Mesic, "President Xi is the only global leader who has envisioned and proposed a kind of world order that gives advantage to the interests of humanity and global peace, and has upheld the ideal of a world in which different civilisations and social systems are equal." Essam Sharaf, a former prime minister of Egypt, said he believes the pillars of the Chinese path to modernisation are cooperation, harmony, peace and development, and Beijing has presented these principles to the world through a set of global initiatives — the BRI, the GDI, the GSI and the GCI. If we seriously want to move from this very risky world, from a world of domination to a world of understanding, respect and cooperation, we should follow the guidelines of these four initiatives. The building of a community with a shared future for mankind can pave the way for law-based international relations, rules-based global governance and true multilateralism.”

Grzegorz Kolodko, a professor of economics and former deputy prime minister of Poland, described the BRI as a great initiative, saying that his country is definitely "very much in favor of looking for a shared future for mankind. He called on countries involved in the BRI to strengthen the soft aspects of the initiative — intellectual and cultural relations, and bonds between different peoples. "In times of rising international tensions caused by the ill-advised Second Cold War, the soft aspects of the Belt and Road Initiative can be a breath of fresh air." More so, Martin Albrow, a fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences, said the policy address delivered by the Chinese president at the United Nations Office at Geneva on building a community with a shared future for mankind "marked another step in the learning journey toward a diverse, open and inclusive world. China has been at the forefront in supporting global governance ever since resuming its rightful place in the United Nations, including the Security Council, in 1971.”

According to the reports, “The Global Development Initiative proposed by Xi has received positive responses and support from more than 100 countries and international organisations, including the United Nations and about 70 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative. Furthermore, recent Saudi Arabia-Iran talks in Beijing had achieved important outcomes, which are a testament to the successful practice of the Global Security Initiative, which has been praised and supported by more than 70 countries, and was unanimously welcomed by the international community. President Xi introduced the Global Civilisation Initiative at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting on March 15, 2023, which was warmly endorsed by the participants and resonated widely with the international community. “In the last 10 years, the concept of "building a community with a shared future for mankind" has been written into the resolutions or declarations of the United Nations, BRICS, and other international organisations many times over: At the bilateral level, China has resonated with many countries in the face of complicated global issues; at the regional level, the building of several communities with a shared future has enjoyed steady promotion; at the global level, communities of global development, human security, human health, and human and natural life, communities with a shared future in cyberspace, a community with a shared future in nuclear security, and a community with a shared future in the ocean have emerged.”

To conclude, from any standpoint there is no global leader in contemporary world who has been so innovative and creative in his thoughts and ideas for shaping a better tomorrow than President Xi. If Mao Tse Tung, the founder of Communist China is remembered for his path breaking quotes focusing on emancipating his people from poverty, social backwardness and underdevelopment , Xi is known for his pragmatic vision for a multipolar and inclusive world.

As an age old friend of China, Pakistan can learn several lessons from the vision of President Xi Jinping and his predecessor including Chairman Mao Tse Tung that how a country which was under occupation of five major power 125 years ago and called as an opium ridden country is now world’s second largest economy. At the end of the day, it is leadership imbued with hard work, intelligence and integrity which matters and a prime condition for the success of a nation. On the 75th birth anniversary of Peoples Republic of China, the Chinese leadership under President Xi is determined to take his country forward despite American policy of containment.

Moonis Ahmar is an author, Meritorious Professor of International Relations and former Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Karachi. He can be reached at amoonis@hotmail.com

All facts and information are the responsibility of the writer