- George I. H. Cooke
Global
Governance: where are we?
Symbiotic associations among states and
peoples have occurred over centuries whilst a semblance of collective governance
on an international scale in varied forms and manifestations has existed from
time immemorial. The building of empires, which were spread over many
centuries, did result in governance from powerful capitals, yet this was a forced
form of governance on weaker nations. Differing periods of colonialism saw
large swathes of the world being governed by conquering nations, mostly
emanating from Europe.
City states and subsequently nation states
had interacted with and amongst each other, but a global network hadn’t been
realized until the founding of the League of Nations. Here global governance in
its modern form began to take shape through this initial experience. It was
with the establishment of the League on 20 January 1920, pursuant to the Paris
Peace Conference that ended the Great War, that was later identified as the
First World War, that voluntary and free willed cooperation begin to emerge in
the world.
The League may have faltered in the quarter
century of its existence, yet nations started realizing the potential of a
cooperative mechanism. World peace, collective security, disarmament, the
resolution of international disputes by peaceful means such as negotiation and
arbitration, measures to curb human and drug trafficking, improving labour
conditions, ensuring health care and a myriad other issues became the focus of
nations that came together in the League of Nations.
Whilst the outbreak of the Second World War
spelt the end of the League, it didn’t curb the enthusiasm of nations and their
leaders to ensure that a new and innovative approach would be adopted when war
ceased. The preparation, throughout the Second World War, for what would occur
after the battles had ended, is testimony to the foresight of leaders to forge
a common stance, which resulted in the establishment of the United Nations
Organisation in 1945. Over the last century since the creation of the League,
and more specifically in the seven decades since the founding of the UN,
humanity has grappled with numerous causes for concern when the world has been
on the brink of a Third World War, yet managed to avert all out disaster owing
to many factors including sound diplomacy, economics and sheer power.
The rise of regionalism in the twentieth
century with the emergence of numerous groupings based on, but not often
limited, to geography, resulted in the creation of a heavily intertwined
network. The connectivity which was formerly carried out through neighbouring
nation states coming together has evolved today to include associations based
on security, religion, culture and economic cooperation. It has led to deeper
reliance on one another, generating an environment in which states are not
isolated anymore.
Ahead of the centenary in 2020, reviewing
the progress made, identifying areas in which states have faltered,
comprehending the scope of that which is to come and strategizing for future,
it is prudent to analyse the role of specific groupings and countries in the
promotion of global governance. Today amid a flurry of economic connectivity,
states, especially those in the global south, are reaching out for enhanced
trade, guaranteed markets and greater investment to boost their economies and
ensure prosperity. For most of the twentieth century, this tangible cooperation
was forthcoming from the West, as the Cold War dominated global affairs. Yet
with the closing of the last century, it is evident that states of the east and
most of the global south, which provided moral support in the past, have
rapidly emerged, some ahead of others.
Amongst states that have undergone rapid
advancement, the leader is China. Over the seven decades since the founding of the
Peoples Republic of China, the country has risen in a plethora of sectors,
taken on a catalytic role in global affairs, and is transforming the rationale of
global governance. Through its involvement in international associations,
ranging from the UN, Group of 20 (G20), the Boao Forum for Asia and the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) among others, and also through its own
domestic and foreign policies such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China
has ensured a massive presence in the world. It has also resulted in countries
grappling to understand the rise of China, some trying to counter its growth,
whilst most are eager to enhance relations and experience similar growth and
prosperity.
China’s impact on global governance is
being felt in almost every country around the world. Shouldering greater responsibility
in global affairs, China’s involvement is not confined to a particular country
or group of countries, nor to a specific region. Over the last four decades
China has gained influence, but borne the responsibility that goes with it.
Having attempted to play a greater role in existing structures, China has moved
ahead by creating new and innovative mechanisms based on her own attributes
which stem from but are not limited to history, culture, size and the ensuing potential.
Some in the west have turned their back on
globalization, jeopardizing the process, network and institutions they fought
hard to establish. In the wake of rising nationalism and economic protectionism
that has spread rapidly in the last few years, China is seen today to be
providing the support and cooperation the global south yearns for. Developing
countries, in their inherent desire to enhance prosperity and improve the
livelihoods of their peoples, are bereft of the tangible support that once
flowed from the West. China has been able to fill the vacuum, but through
unique means. China’s two pronged approach of working bilaterally and
multilaterally has seen the country make immense headway in both arenas.
The bilateral connectivity was carefully
nurtured over the last seven decades and has been enhanced by the BRI and the
resulting investment and development. From a multilateral perspective, China is
one of the strongest advocates of cooperation and integration. Believing in the
need to share opportunities and generate mutually beneficial arrangements,
China is using her position in many international groupings to share positive
experiences and ways by which they can be replicated, in a bid to improve
conditions internationally.
Growth of the SCO: power
house of the 21st century
The last century ended with the Treaty on
Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions being inked in Shanghai. The
resulting Shanghai Five brought together China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia
and Tajikistan. In 2001 the group added Uzbekistan and was renamed the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation. Bringing together key Dialogue Partners and
Observers, the SCO’s decision to include India and Pakistan as full members in 2017,
saw the Organisation growing but more importantly transforming into a larger
Asian alliance. Estimated to be the largest organisation in geography and
population after the UN itself, the SCO has, over less than two decades,
consolidated its position on the world stage.
Originally formed as a confidence
building forum to demilitarize borders, the SCO has expanded its mandate to
include increased military and counter-terrorism cooperation and intelligence
sharing. Geared towards tackling the ‘three evils’ of terrorism, separatism and
extremism, the states involved have effectively cooperated through a multitude
of fora, such as joint drills and other cooperative mechanisms, to thwart the
rise and/or spread of the ‘three evils’. The amalgamation of political summits with peace games
in Bishkek in 2007, intense cooperation between the SCO and the Russian-led
Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the formulation of an
Anti-Extremism Convention, the outfit has realized the need to respond to
growing challenges from outside the region and to respond collectively if an
impact is to be made.
Identified as one of the most influential
and powerful entities in global affairs, its strength comes from its membership
and their high level of commitment. The inclusion of India and Pakistan bodes well for
many. India and Pakistan receive the opportunity of working closely with each
other and with China and Russia respectively as they allay their past misgivings,
and bilateral differences for a greater cause. The South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has a sliver of hope if neighbours decide to work
in unison. The formula is thus a win-win situation and is positively impacting
other groupings.
Just as the 19th century was identified
as the British Century and the 20th was dubbed the American
Century, the 21st it is widely argued, belongs to Asia. Robust
economic growth, rapid development, expanding populations and poor performances
in other quarters of the world, indicate a possible realization of an Asian
Century. With the inclusion of Russia, through the SCO and as a northern
neighbour in the greater Asian region, key aspects of power are thrown into the
formula, ensuring a success story. With China, India and Russia the prospects for
the grouping remain endless.
China’s role in the SCO:
Synergizing for the future
China led the SCO in 2012 and took over the
presidency once again in June 2017. Since then China has created new platforms
for deliberations and widened the scope of the organisation, to ensure greater
representation, meaningful involvement and deeper interaction at all levels
among the member states. From the first SCO Peoples Forum in Xi’an in April, to
the first SCO Women’s Summit in May, the first ever SCO Media Summit in Beijing
in June, and thereafter hosting the SCO Summit in Qingdao, also in June, China
has provided reinvigoration and led in the effort to transform the SCO.
Forging consensus among member states to
implement an initiative of the Chinese NGO Association for International
Exchanges, the Peoples Forum brought together more than 80 delegates from
across the SCO region as well as those from Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, as
Dialogue Partner countries for several days of deliberations and in a bid to further
consolidate the connectivity between SCO states.
In 2017, President Xi Jinping called for
closer people to people connectivity, and the need to ensure a shared vision
for humanity. His offer of Chinese solutions to meet the onslaught of
challenges gripping the global community, generated avenues for deeper
cooperation, mutual trust, and common development, all of which are enshrined
in the Shanghai spirit. Sharing the Chinese experience, the SCO Peoples Forum
was an opportunity of understanding the potential of building bridges of
communication and securing lasting peace, which could be a means of guaranteeing
universal security. As an exercise in public diplomacy, the Forum ensured the
realization of a Chinese proverb that the relations between states lie in the
affinity of their people.
At the SCO Summit, the Chinese leader
identified four areas for closer cooperation amongst member states. He
identified the need to return to the Shanghai Spirit and act to advance the
areas of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for
diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development, and enhance solidarity
and coordination. President Xi called for the SCO to provide heightened
emphasis on cooperation in the field of security with the ‘three evils’
remaining the focus, as the SCO works towards shared development by promoting a
freer, more open interplay in the economic arena. His fourth call was for the
SCO to play a more comprehensive role in world affairs.
The structured approach advocated by China
is a reflection of her own policies wherein, successful attempts have been made
to reduce poverty, improve livelihoods, generate growth, ensure a greater
degree of prosperity and common development, safeguard peoples, and increase
the influence of China internationally. Irrespective of the region or country,
the provision of development assistance increases the influence that China has
in the world, but of relevance is that the assistance is being sought by
states, and not being forced on them by China. As the only country with the
capacity to provide the assistance at the current scale, Chinese investments
across the world, have been able to drastically change domestic dynamics within
recipient countries.
Countries of the global north are among the
chief beneficiaries. Hosting President Xi in 2015, the United Kingdom had received an estimated $16 billion between
2000 and 2014, while Germany received $8.4 billion, France was close behind
with $8 billion, and Portugal and Italy received $6.7 billion and $5.6 billion
respectively, during the same period. Currently ranked as the number one
investor among foreign governments in the United States, with an estimated
$1.18 trillion, China holds 21% of America’s debt.
Developing countries rely on China but this in turn bodes
well for South-South cooperation, as the fast changing tide with which China
gradually assumes a higher, if not the highest role in the international
hierarchy, augurs well for all developing countries. It needs to be understood
in the Asian context, then the region as a whole can share the success of an
Asian neighbour. Xi had
no qualms in stating that ‘China is an important member of the Asian family and
the global family. China cannot develop itself in isolation from the rest of
Asia and the world. On their part, the rest of Asia and the world cannot enjoy
prosperity and stability without China.’
[1]
China
has accepted her role, and is clearly emerging as the next world leader. It is
obvious that the sooner she is viewed as a partner and is joined in the pursuit
of development, the sooner Asia and in fact many other regions of the world,
will gain strength and stability.
