7TH WORLD SOCIALISM FORUM, 2016, BEIJING, CHINA
(Translated by PEGGY CANTAVE FUYET
Introduction
In the recent decades, China stressed its will to pursue the road of peaceful development, which is an important component of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. This statement was strongly reaffirmed at the 18th CPC National Congress. Today, under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China pushes forward the idea of a new type of international relations based on win-win cooperation. However, China’s rise is considered by some countries as a threat. The idea and practice of a new type of international relations is a great challenge to US hegemony and to the “old international relations order”. China is actively contributing to put in place, with the help of other countries such as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), financial structures and other kinds of multilateral organizations, based on equality, justice and mutual benefit.
Yet, some voices, coming especially from the West, but sometimes also from Asia and Africa, claim that China will seek hegemony. They doubt that a powerful country can follow a path other than the old international relations path based on inequality, injustice and win-lose relation. They think that as a powerful country, China will certainly try to replace the United States and seek hegemony. Those who consider that China will follow the US imperialist path fail to understand the fundamental differences in many aspects (historical past, socio-economic system and political system, goals, etc.) between the two countries and therefore, fail to understand the new type of international relations China is pursuing in theory and practice.
During a dialogue between the BRICS countries and several leaders and presidents from Latin America that was held after the July 2014 BRICS summit in Brazil, the Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the “BRICS and South American countries, as emerging states and developing countries, constitute ‘the rising power’ in the international structure” [1]. Through the particular examples of China’s relations with the BRICS and with the CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), this article will analyze the new type of international relations gradually put in place by China, and its anti-imperialist utility in today’s world.
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