In today’s world, nations are not fighting for international supremacy but for different models of global order. China and Western countries offer their democracies and models, and the real battle is not for democracies and autocracies. Xi is a lifelong practitioner of Chinese politics. He is approximately 70 years old and likes to lead his country for the rest of his life. He is poised to remain China’s paramount leader until the late 2030s. Since assuming power in 2012, he has made national security a central paradigm in all affairs of its governance. By national security, Xi meant that everything falls under national security, whether it is politics, economy, culture and environment, cyberspace, defence or even the deep sea.
Xi Jinping has played a tremendous role in the contemporary world order. In one of his speeches in April 2022 at the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan province. He articulated that the world needs the Global Security Initiatives (GSI). His slogan shook the world in the foreign policy of China. Later, the scholar summed up that it had directly challenged the US, its alliance and its partners. China’s mission is to expand its economic clout using the Belt and Road Initiative. Since its launch in 2013, Xi has brought dozens of nations closer to Beijing.
The Belt and Road Initiative is a powerful example of Xi in the global world order.
The Belt and Road Initiative is a powerful example of Xi in the global world order. An ambitious trillion-dollar project linking China to the rest of Asia, Africa and Europe. This project not only connects different nations but also helps boost the Chinese economy to export its items to other countries.
Xi made his vision for China even clearer in 2017 when he outlined his plans to turn China into one of the world’s most advanced economic and military powers by 2050 in a speech to the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th Congress. That same year, “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” was enshrined in China’s constitution. Since then, China has sought to introduce language from the political theory bearing Xi’s name into U.N. resolutions.
The world sees the spectacles between the US and China over trade, the status of Taiwan, technology, and semiconductor exports to China. However, Xi is well aware of these issues and struggles to expand its military muscles. Many Western scholars have their views that Xi pushed his politics to the Leninist left, economy to the Marxist left, and Foreign Policy to the nationalist right. The US and Western alliances are fearful of XI owing to these strategies. Xi wants to see China as a preeminent Asian and global power by 2049; to do this, Xi quantified a few benchmarks in 2017 that the country may avail by 20235. These goals include a “medium level developed economy, and modernization of Chinese defence and its armed forces. Taiwan is the red line for Xi’s diplomacy, and it can lead both the US and China to war, but China has yet to make any decision to go to war. Xi wants to avoid war, but when it comes to war, Xi will use his power.
In his visit to Moscow in March 2023, Xi reaffirmed that Xi’s views on the Sino-Russian are a crucial piece of his grand strategy and regards Putin’s military adventure in Ukraine as a significant step towards its strategy as this statement meant for the West and US his tilt towards Russia in the global world order.
Xi had taken the personal initiative to restore diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia. This step seems that President Xi Jinping intends to expand its exports in both countries and to lessen the US influence in KSA.
The US pushed India to retake its Ladakh border from China. Tension grew between China and India in the region that killed 20 Indian soldiers. However, Xi resolved the issue of keeping India as a geostrategic partner in the South Asian box with the lid on light. Xi ordered the expansion of business-as-usual diplomacy to promote trade and commerce with India.
In short, Xi has faced numerous challenges within and without, but he still demonstrated a distinctive leadership style, established personal dominance in the party and led China as a prosperous nation since he took charge as president.
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Islamabad. He can be reached at [email protected]