Riaz Khokhar

Opinion | China must practise the multilateral security it preaches in its disputed borders and seas

From the South China Sea to Indian border, China’s actions in its backyard are raising eyebrows even as it slams hegemony and calls for a multilateral security order

Instead of imposing its view on the neighbourhood, China should engage in dialogue and diplomacy

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Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang filmed by reporters and delegates after speaking about the Global Security Initiative at the Lanting Forum in Beijing on February 21. Attracting farther countries towards its initiative might be the easy part for China. The challenge is how Beijing presents it to its neighbours. Photo: AP

Riaz Khokhar

Published: 3:30am, 31 Mar 2023Updated: 5:10am, 31 Mar 2023

The United States has faced criticism for its military interventions and coercive tactics to garner support for the world order it dominates. Nations that oppose the US hegemony risk military and economic repercussions.

China projects an alternative model. It has established itself as a partner mostly with a hands-off approach to others’ domestic politics. Its Global Security Initiative, which opposes military alliances, hegemony and unilateralism, has gained traction in regions in South America, Africa and the Arab world.

Recently, Beijing showed its diplomatic prowess by bringing two Middle Eastern arch-rivals, Saudi Arabia and Iran, to the negotiating table. Its peace plan for the Ukraine-Russia conflict, although not well-received in Western capitals, has been hailed in the Global South.

But the true measure of China’s commitment to multilateralism and an anti-hegemonic approach is in how it resolves its disputes in its neighbourhood.

America sees China as a systemic challenge to the US-led world order. Washington’s anti-China rhetoric has intensified, projecting Beijing as aggressive and suggesting it may use force to retake Taiwan and control disputed regional areas. To counter this, the US has formed defence and logistics pacts with allies such as Japan, the Philippines and Australia, as part of an integrated deterrence strategy.

Indeed, China’s diplomatic, economic and military policies towards Southeast Asian nations, India, Australia and Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic have been seen as assertive, and its “no-limits partnership” with Russia has fuelled a perception that it may be enabling Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Opinion | China must practise the multilateral security it preaches in its disputed borders and seas

From the South China Sea to Indian border, China’s actions in its backyard are raising eyebrows even as it slams hegemony and calls for a multilateral security order Instead of imposing its view on the neighbourhood, China should engage in dialogue and diplomacy

From the South China Sea to Indian border, China’s actions in its backyard are raising eyebrows even as it slams hegemony and calls for a multilateral security order

Instead of imposing its view on the neighbourhood, China should engage in dialogue and diplomacy