/ world today news/ In modern international relations, two different approaches have clearly stood out, which come from two of the three world superpowers – China and Russia. On the one hand is the American approach, which is based on the attempt to preserve American geopolitical hegemony through a system of military alliances and the “containment” of independent powers that refuse to follow the US line. This approach to international relations finds its background both in the Cold War, when George Frost Kennan developed precisely the strategy of “containment”, and in the earlier 19th century, when the United States developed the “Monroe” doctrine, according to which no other power has no right of interest or interference in the Western Hemisphere. On the other hand is the Chinese approach, which is based on maintaining friendly relations with as many countries as possible, based on mutual benefit and respect. This approach is in tune with the “community of the common destiny of mankind” announced by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The American approach stems from the doctrine of American exceptionalism, as well as the belief of liberal ideologues that the end of history has come and anyone who does not accept American policy is the enemy. It was within the framework of the American approach to international relations that the interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Yugoslavia were launched, which led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people, as well as the expulsion from their homes of tens of millions.
On the contrary, China’s approach to international relations has led to the implementation of major economic, trade and scientific projects within the framework of “One Belt, One Road”, and also along the lines of the great assistance that China has provided to countries in Asia and Africa in the fight against Covid for example.
Within the framework of US policy, various conflicts and military alliances have been encouraged for decades, which are supposed to keep the adversary “in check”. Prominent among these are the wars surrounding the breakup of Yugoslavia, which were launched to fragment the geopolitical space of the Balkans and thwart any future Russian attempts to engage with the region on the basis of shared history, faith and interests. But in addition to Yugoslavia and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we should also note the instigation of a proxy war in Syria, which was aimed at neutralizing an independent Middle Eastern country, running a gas pipeline that would compete with Russian gas, depriving Russia of a base in the Mediterranean Sea and cause a migration crisis in Europe.
Again, the American approach promoted regional conflicts such as that in Nagorno-Karabakh, where American agents of influence were stoking tensions on both the Armenian and Azeri sides. The tension around Transnistria and Moldova was also fueled. But the “crown” of the American approach to international relations is Ukraine, where in 2014, with American money and under American pressure, the democratically elected government was violently overthrown. The US later poured billions into rearming the country and preparing it for war, while continuing to provoke Russia and push its military infrastructure closer to its borders. The result is infamous and has resulted in the deaths of perhaps 200,000 Ukrainians and quite a few Russians .
However, let’s see what the Chinese concept of a community of shared destiny of mankind, which Xi Jinping announced 10 years ago, is. It is the idea that there are universal human problems that must be solved collectively by humanity. But at the same time, this is not American-style globalism, because China believes that the national interests of each country should be respected and there should be no dissatisfaction with the overall process. Contrary to the American idea of a “zero sum game”.
In 2014, Xi Jinping began to propose the implementation of his concept and a new foreign policy strategy for the whole world, based first and foremost on mutual partnership at all levels. Second, adhering to the principle of mutually beneficial cooperative relations and refusing unilateral actions (for example, unilateral sanctions, conflicts, etc.). Third, adherence to the concept of achieving such results as would be beneficial and satisfactory to all. Within the framework of Xi Jinping’s idea, Beijing managed to find a common language with almost a hundred countries and also with many international organizations.
A key moment became the development within the framework of Xi Jinping’s concept, of the strategy for the integration of the eastern countries. Beijing set a good example with the “China-ASEAN community of common destiny” project, as on November 15, 2020, the “Comprehensive Regional Economic Partnership” – a free trade project between China and the 14 ASEAN countries – was signed in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
And while the United States continues to believe in its cultural superiority and, proceeding from the doctrine of its exceptionalism, tries to Americanize the whole world, China, on the contrary, expresses its respect for every civilization and every political system. No one has heard of a Chinese “ideology export” yet. But we all know about big Chinese projects bringing multi-billion profits to countries in Asia and Africa, for example.
Within the framework of the American approach, Joe Biden organized two “summits of democracies”, where he actually divided the world into “democracies” and “autocracies”, i.e. of “higher” and “lower”, of “good” and “bad”, without any respect for the identity and interests of individual countries. And what did Xi Jinping and China do? They showed in deed, not words, that humanity really has a shared destiny in this global village in which we live. First, China proposed an adequate formula for peace in Ukraine that could solve many of the current problems.
The Chinese demanded: 1. Respect for the sovereignty of all countries. 2. Abandoning the Cold War mentality. 3. Cessation of hostilities. 4. Resumption of peace negotiations. 5. Resolving the humanitarian crisis. 6. Protection of civilians and prisoners of war. 7. Securing the nuclear power plants (recall how the US encouraged the Ukrainian shelling of the Russian-controlled ZAPP). 8. Limiting the strategic risks of nuclear escalation. 9. Resumption of grain export. 10. Termination of unilateral sanctions. 11. Maintenance and preservation of security and industrial and logistics chains. 12. Promoting post-conflict reconstruction.
Russia was willing to discuss, and perhaps even accept, a Chinese peace proposal that guaranteed some of Russia’s strategic interests and security concerns. But the US flatly rejected it, because its approach to the MoD does not involve pacifying Ukraine, but maintaining the conflict, which aims to exhaust Russia and lead to a change of the Russian government through a color revolution.
The second time China demonstrated its belief in humanity’s shared destiny in action was when it brokered a thaw between decades-long enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran. Both the Foreign Minister and National Security Adviser of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed al-Ayban, and the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, thanked China’s leadership and support for the negotiations and their success. The three countries said that Riyadh and Tehran have reached an agreement to restore diplomatic relations between them, open embassies and representative offices within a short period of a maximum of two months, exchange ambassadors and explore further opportunities for the development of bilateral relations .
This is an extraordinary success of Chinese diplomacy, because in the end, because of the regional cold war between Riyadh and Tehran, the entire Middle East was threatened. The conflicts in Syria and Yemen were largely a reflection of the confrontation between the two Islamic powers. And this confrontation was actively encouraged by the US and its anti-Iranian policy. Now, however, with the decline of American power and influence, Saudi Arabia can pursue a more independent policy, which has allowed it to accept Chinese mediation for reconciliation with Iran. There is no better example of the “community of the shared destiny of mankind” than the fact that China’s diplomacy prevented further conflicts and tensions in the Middle East, which would have resulted in hundreds of thousands of victims and millions of refugees.
Xi Jinping’s concept can lead to a more peaceful, orderly, peaceful and prosperous world. And more and more countries around the world agree with it, especially against the background of the collapse of the unipolar hegemonic model.
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