Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is in Beijing, China as a Guest of Honor at the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road initiative. His visit to China reasserts Russia’s alignment with China for a New World Order. Xi Jinping, China’s leader invited hundreds of guests to celebrate his foreign policy initiative which “aims to form a fairer multi-polar world.”
According to Putin, Russia and China share the same goal which is the “aspiration for equal and mutually beneficial cooperation.” The goal includes, “Respecting civilization diversity and the right of every state for their own development model.” This meeting comes amidst allegations that Xi is an authoritarian leader who does not promote human rights and political freedom.
Leader Xi welcomed world leaders, delegations, and representatives from over 140 countries to commemorate 10 years of his alternative world order initiative. The ambitious yet controversial project is set to enhance connectivity and trade across the world with Chinese infrastructure projects. According to Xi, his initiative aims to provide a different development project for the world.
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The meeting comes as the war in the Middle East continues to hit deadly levels, threatening a broader regional conflict. Meanwhile, US President, Joe Biden is currently in Israel to emphasize his support for Israel against the Hamas. On the other hand, Xi stated that the ongoing events in the Middle East threaten to deepen world power divisions. Nonetheless, China and Russia called for a ceasefire while declining to explicitly condemn the Hamas.
However, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in his speech at the Belt and Road Forum. Despite the heat, Xi refrained from addressing the conflict in his speech. Nonetheless, he hinted at a shift in global power and leadership.
“Changes of the world, of our times and of historical significance are unfolding like never before. China is endeavoring to build itself into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization. The modernization we’re pursuing is not for China alone, but for all developing countries through joint efforts.”
Xi Jinping
Instead, the Chinese leader addressed the US government. He stated that China is opposed to unilateral sanctions, economic coercion, decoupling, and supply chain disruption.
“Ideological confrontation, geopolitical rivalry and bloc politics are not a choice for us. Viewing others’ development as a threat or taking economic interdependence as a risk will not make one’s own life better or speed up one’s development.”
Xi Jinping
Xi and Putin had talks after the event, where Xi referred to the Russian leader as “my old friend.” It appears as if the political trust between the two has deepened and a close effective strategic coordination born. Despite Putin being rejected by the West and wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, he made the trip to Beijing. In the meantime, Ukraine reported that two people were killed today in the city of Zaporizhzhia after a Russian missile strike.
The New World Order initiative is a project being pushed by Xi to project China as an alternate leader to the US. Its vision is to ensure that global security and development are ensured. Since the pandemic, this is the first major international event being hosted by China. Xi’s move is to pitch his vision to his close allies for the past decade in a bid to expand his global influence.
Ultimately, the Belt and Road Forum has pulled leaders from all over the globe including the Middle East and the Taliban. Although China showcases itself as a powerful and influential state, it is struggling with a dwindling economy, soaring unemployment rates, and government shake-ups. This is despite China’s foreign policy attracting hundreds of billions into its finances to build ports, power stations, bridges, rails, and roads globally.
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China’s infrastructure projects have made the country the world’s largest debt collector. As a result, the country’s economy is growing at the slowest rate ever. In spite of that, Xi continues to brush off criticisms and affirms his commitment to his initiative. Currently, more than 150 countries have amassed up to a trillion dollars into the project as investment.
