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War and conflict
CommentWorld
Wang Wen
Wang Wen

Opinion | In a world engulfed by war, China is holding out for peace

  • The many conflicts around the world could be seen as a new, albeit fragmented, world war in a period marked by political instability, increased military spending and a decline in trust in traditional conflict resolution mechanisms
  • China does not want to be the global cop, but is committed to peace

Reading Time:4 minutes
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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Wang Wen
A new world war is under way. For those living in developed countries, where gruesome battles remain mere headlines, it may not feel like the Earth is burning, but in 2022, according to the Peace Peace Research Institute Oslo, there were 137 conflicts around the world, resulting in over 224,800 deaths. The statistics for 2023 will no doubt be more chilling.
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In 2022, a quarter of the Earth’s population, about 2 billion people, lived in areas directly impacted by military conflict. Battles and clashes between militaries, militias and zealots have put more people in danger than at any time since World War II.

While the first and second world wars featured large-scale battles throughout Eurasia, the current new world war is fragmented, but nonetheless global. Conflicts around the world now last between eight and 11 years.

These apparently unconnected conflicts have led to humanitarian disasters in all corners of the world, drawing in massive amounts of aid. In 2022, some 110 million people were displaced by war, persecution, violence and discrimination, far exceeding the 60 million people who were displaced during World War II.

More than 5.9 million people are seeking refugee protection in Europe because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Sudan civil war that broke out last year has pushed more than 10 million people from their homes. In the past three years, seven military coups have occurred in African countries.
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The brutality and destructiveness of the conflict in Gaza has shocked the world. More than half of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed and 85 per cent of the population has been displaced.
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