Sense Hofstede
During his annual year-opening trip to Africa, People’s Republic of China (PRC) foreign minister Wang Yi (王毅) called for cooperation to reform global governance. In the view of the PRC, the rise of the Global South, developing countries’ right to modernization, and Africa’s suffering under “hegemonism” require changes to the international system (Xinhua, January 10). The PRC is prepared to help lead these changes by sharing its own solutions.
The demand exists. The varied global response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and reactions to Israel’s conduct in Gaza indicate a sense in the capitals of many so-called “Global South” countries that it is time to do away with what they regard as the double standards of rich countries. Western appeals to a “rules-based international order” are losing some of their attraction.
The PRC offers an alternative, but one that comes with a catch. This is the “Leninist leash.” As Beijing proceeds with its efforts to shape the world, it does so by following the operating logic of its own party-state. The unique nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) means that this entails the export of domestic control mechanisms abroad. Just as the rules-based international order has elements of the political structures and values of the countries that were instrumental in founding it—namely, the United States and its allies, the PRC’s proposal likewise reflects its own approach to governance.
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