A military parade was held in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. Nearly 12,000 soldiers in parade uniforms, the most modern weapons systems that can be used all over the world, and above all - President Xi Jinping as a powerful ruler, showing off from the balcony of Tiananmen Square under a huge portrait of the founder of the state, Mao Zedong. These images are traveling around the world on today's significant day for China.
Witnessing the show are 26 heads of state and government from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. And from Europe, in addition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrived.
China wants to play a more significant role in the future world
The signal is clear: China wants to set the rules of the game in the future world order. “In autocracies, these military parades are part of the toolkit that shows real or desired power“, political scientist Eberhard Sandschneider told DW. “Thanks to the economic boom, China is also on the way to expanding its international role. Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, this process has received a significant boost.“
The 72-year-old head of state has a clear vision. By 2049, when the 100th anniversary of the founding of the republic will be celebrated, the modernization processes must be completed. GDP per capita (1.4 billion people) should reach the level of middle-income countries. Forecasts from various reputable consulting firms indicate that in five or at the latest in 15 years, China could surpass the United States as the world's largest economy.
China is also expanding its leading role politically - in organizations such as the BRICS or the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Through the infrastructure project "New Silk Road" with 153 countries involved, China is gaining more and more supporters in the West, as well as with the economic corridor through Pakistan, the high-speed trains in Kenya and, most recently, the deep-sea port in Peru.
Parallel world order in the global South
China is using the combination of economics and politics to create a parallel world order in the global South. Ideas for public infrastructure projects are born within the framework of government consultations, and state-owned Chinese banks grant loans when the Communist Party requires it to achieve its foreign policy goals.
However, requirements regarding environmental protection or working conditions remain in most cases only on paper. Chinese companies receive Chinese money on loan from the state and send Chinese construction workers all over the world. The debts are assumed by partner countries - with fatal consequences: the growth of debts forces them to obey the creditor in Beijing.
And anyone who criticizes human rights violations in the Tibet Autonomous Region or among the Muslim Uighur minority loses their chance to remain a business partner. But anyone who recognizes Taiwan as a Chinese province receives orders - with guarantees of rapid implementation and the corresponding financial resources.
This “Chinese model“ is criticized in the Western world, but is increasingly gaining support in the global South. For example, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo called on African countries to learn from the “Chinese model“. In his words, China's remarkable progress in recent decades has been “a source of inspiration and opportunities for Nigeria and Africa“.
What are Xi's goals?
Xi's goal is to “democratize“ international relations and counter the “hegemony“ of the United States, analyst Klaus Sung of the Berlin-based think tank MERICS told DW. “This intention predetermines the way China acts in the world. But it is not rooted in the liberal order or liberal ideas, but stems from national interests.“
Currently, diplomats from the Chinese Foreign Ministry are working on a plan for reforms of “global governance“, because China would like to take a leading role in “changes and the creation of new forms of international governance“. This is necessary, since global crises are becoming more frequent, and the balance of power internationally would change.
As China expert Sandschneider points out, the Communist Party, which has been in power for over 70 years, has created a kind of its own system. And it does not interfere in the political order of other countries. “China wants to get what it needs - above all resources, but in the meantime - and access to markets.“