Two mega events, organized by the Chinese Government last week, have sent powerful signals to different parts of the globe as these are widely considered as harbingers of a change that could lead to much-talked-about reshaping of the World Order.
President Xi Jinping, the strongman of China, hosted the largest-ever summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the history of the prestigious organization and the guests witnessed a massive military parade at the famous Tiananmen Square in Beijing showcasing a new generation of weapons including 'robot wolves', unmanned submarines and aircraft.
The way strategists and diplomatic circles around the globe are interpreting these skillfully hosted events is an indication that Beijing is going to become the gravity of the world because of its geopolitical and economic influence and clout. Analysts clearly see a shift in global power balance, with China's increasing technological, economic and military power, making Beijing a focal point for global decision-making and setting international rules.
China is already the world's second largest economy and a prominent Chinese economist Justin Lin Yifu is sure it is on track to surpass that of the United States within five to ten years. This is also confirmed by the growth rate of China, which is more than double of the United States. The massive and impressive military parade has conveyed an unambiguous message that China is moving fast to catch up with the United States both in terms of quality and outreach. More important is the reality that China has a dynamic and visionary leader - President Xi Jinping - who won the hearts of his own people and those of the well wishers of his country by declaring in his speech that China was 'unstoppable'. Ground realities also substantiate his resolve as China is scaling new heights of economic development and has effectively demonstrated its military strength in the backdrop of consistent efforts to contain and encircle China.
The outcome of the SCO summit was a remarkable achievement of President Xi Jinping as the event brought together leaders from 23 countries and heads of 10 international organizations. Presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un at the summit and in the parade was seen as the most significant development, sparking a strong reaction from President Donald Trump, who wrote on his 'X' account that the three leaders have gathered to 'conspire against the United States'. Leaving aside the conspiracy theory, it is a fact that the trade war that the US President has launched in the shape of punitive tariffs has brought countries with conflicting stands together. In a radio interview, President Trump also brushed off concerns that deepening ties between China and Russia pose a threat to the United States, pointing to Washington's unmatched military might. No doubt, military confrontation would be the worst option for any side but there are visible shifts in alliances and partnerships in the backdrop of fast-changing regional and global scenarios. Trump's comments come as China and Russia have been ramping up cooperation to present an alternative vision to the Western-led international order. Speaking at the SCO summit, both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin took turns leveling criticisms at what they view as Washington's undue dominance over the global arena. The member states adopted the Tianjin Declaration, addressing security, economic and social challenges while promoting regional cooperation and a multi-polar world order. China and Russia presented their vision of a new international order at the summit, where Beijing offered new financial incentives to countries aligned with the Beijing-led economic and security group. As the Chinese leader warned "Global governance has reached a new crossroads", his remarks were echoed by those of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said the SCO would revive "genuine multilateralism" as it laid "the political and socioeconomic groundwork for the formation of a new system of stability and security in Eurasia".
The calls for a new world order are understandable as the existing one is not fully reflective of the ground realities. The 21st century is considered to be that of Asia because of its growing role in determining the fate of the world economy and geostrategic landscape but the existing order does not recognize this reality. The SCO summit has deepened the impression that Asia is going to be the leader in technological, industrial, defence and diplomatic arenas.
Putin attended China's largest-ever military parade, an event widely seen as part of Xi's efforts to demonstrate Beijing's growing clout on the international stage. The display of state-of-the art weapons of all varieties also sent a chilling message to those harbouring any ill-will that China has the capacity, capability and resolve (as reflected by the speech delivered by President Xi) to defend its interests.
China has already established its reputation as one of the major suppliers of military hardware but the recent conflict between Pakistan and India wiped out illusions, if any, about quality, perfection and range of the defence equipment produced by China. The military parade and display of an array of weapons revealed a more innovative and diverse range of weapons, particularly drones and missiles - a reflection of how advanced their defence-industrial complex has become.
Modern warfare focuses on missiles and drones for obvious reasons and with this in view China is also investing hugely on this aspect of defence. At the parade, China rolled out a number of missiles including the Dongfeng-61, which is capable of carrying multiple warheads in its nose cone; the Dongfeng-5C intercontinental ballistic missile and the "Guam Killer" Dongfeng-26D intermediate range missile. There were also several hypersonic anti-ship missiles such as the YJ-17 and YJ-19, which can fly very fast and maneuver unpredictably to evade anti-missile systems. There were a wide range of drones, some of them AI-powered, but the one that grabbed eyeballs was the AJX-002 giant submarine drone. Also known as an extra-large un-crewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV) measuring up to 20m (65ft) in length, it could possibly do surveillance and reconnaissance missions. China also showed off its GJ-11 stealth attack drone, dubbed the "loyal wingman", which can fly alongside a manned fighter jet and aid it in its attacks.
There is no doubt that China has demonstrated its lethal military power but it is also a fact that throughout its history China never carried out aggression against any other country and instead its leadership always exercised restraint and underlined the need for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts. This policy was not only pursued in situations where national interests of China were threatened but also in conflict resolution elsewhere in the world as highlighted by the peace accord brokered by Beijing between Riyadh and Tehran. In fact, China has a genuine interest in a peaceful world as it believes in shared prosperity as reflected in the Belt and Road Initiative of President Xi.
I tend to agree with those who firmly believe that China's military power and its economic influence pose no threat to any other country, rather these are factors of stability and durable peace in the world.