WASHINGTON – Hardly a month after Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed his “Global Governance Initiative,” Beijing made its intent clear at the most global of forums — that it should, and is qualified to, help shape the world order even as the United States tips more inward under Donald Trump.
In a seemingly jargon-filled speech delivered to the U.N. General Assembly on Friday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang told the audience that “a China that bears in mind the greater good of humanity and stands ready to take up responsibilities will bring more positive energy into the world." His words seized on the retreat by the American president from international organizations and on his apparent disdain towards the United Nations.
Recommended Videos
Li never once mentioned the United States by name. But in not-so-subtle swipes at recent actions by the United States, he touted his country's credentials: lowering tariffs to promote global economy, vowing to cut greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change and committing to safeguarding the authority of the United Nations.
It represents a shift in approach to global affairs that experts say reflects a China that sees itself on the ascent.
“Li’s speech confirms that China’s foreign policy posture today is firmly anchored in the ambition of turning a Western-dominant world order into one that is much more conducive to Chinese interests, values, and leadership,” said Olivia Cheung, lecturer in politics at King's College London. “China’s foreign policy today is notably more confident, strategic, and coherent than how it was in 2017, where Beijing’s presentation of global governance reform lacked content."
The speech has come amid growing worries in Washington that China, the world's second-largest economy, might seek to unseat the United States as the global leader, even though Beijing has repeatedly assured Washington that it has no intention to challenge or replace the U.S. Instead, Xi has said Beijing should enjoy a global say befitting of its economic might and global stature.
Li says China has the answer
Li opened his speech by evoking the history of the United Nations and crediting it for the by-and-large peace and prosperity in the ensuing eight decades. Then, he lamented on the “chaos” the world is faced with today.
“The world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation,” Li said, leveling his criticisms at “unilateralism and Cold War mentality" and repeated disruptions to the international system.
“How could we, when confronted with unscrupulous acts of hegemonism and bullying, remain silent and submissive for fear of might?” the Chinese premier asked. The terms “unilateralism,” “Cold War mentality,” “hegemonism” and “bullying” are usually associated with the U.S. in Beijing's diplomatic talks.
Then, the Chinese premier portrayed China as a desirable answer to such problems — a founding member of the United Nations that has in recent years shared “China’s wisdom and solution for navigating global transformations and overcoming pressing challenges.”
The Global Governance Initiative, as proposed by Xi in early September, “points the right direction and provides an important pathway for building a more just and equitable global governance system,” Li said.
China's foreign policy shifts under Xi
The reframing is, on some levels, fundamental.
In a podcast aired Sept. 26, Cheung told the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations that Beijing's strategic thinking has shifted under Xi — from maintaining good ties with the U.S. and other Western nations for China's economic growth to “reshaping the international system so that the rest of the world respect and accept China’s interest in the way that Beijing defines it."
She said Beijing has viewed the global governance system as “dominated by Western powers, especially the United States” and serving their interests in a way that is "often unfair or unrepresentative.”
What Beijing is most interested in, Cheung said, is “changing global governance in a way that puts the United Nations front and center” where China can have “a lot more involvement and influences and leverage in how it functions.”
Li's speech Friday conveys the impression that Xi's proposition of “forging the common destiny for humankind’ is not only an aspiration but ”policy actions that are noble and urgent, with which China uniquely has strong technical competencies to lead," Cheung told the Associated Press.
As the Trump administration imposes steep tariffs, threatens territorial annexations and goes after multilateral institutions, “China seeks to present itself as a key upholder of a postwar order in whose viability the United States seems to be losing confidence”, said Ali Wyne, a senior research and advocacy advisory for U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group.
But China does not appear to have either the capacity or the desire to offer a wholesale alternative, Wyne said. Instead, he said, China appears interested in deepening its influences in certain areas and attempting to legitimize its longstanding contention that new norms are needed to reflect emerging geopolitical trends.
Gap in rhetoric and reality
The gulf between Beijing's words and its actions is another question. Where the Chinese government is concerned, its action often fails to align with its word, said Craig Singleton, senior director of the China Program at the Washington-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“Premier Li’s remarks leaned heavily on multilateral language, but Beijing’s track record tells a different story," Singleton said. “China champions sovereignty at the U.N. while systematically eroding it in practice, from Hong Kong to the South China Sea.”
He added: “Li’s calls for ‘cooperation’ and ‘openness’ sound constructive, but they’re designed to blunt pressure on China’s economy and technology sector."
A day earlier, Li held a meeting with American businesspeople and scholars in New York. He assured the group that China would “continuously expand market access and increase imports” and provide foreign businesses with “the certainty they need to operate and develop in China,” according to a Chinese government statement.
The two countries are locked in a trade dispute, and Xi and Trump are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation grouping of 21 economies, to be held at the end of October in South Korea, to help recalibrate bilateral relations.
The Chinese premier said the two countries “could and should” become partners and friends, and he repeated a line from Xi: “The Pacific Ocean is vast enough to accommodate both China and the United States, as well as other countries."