Xi pitches new world order to Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Xi Jinping's vision of a multipolar world order has charmed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
ICYDK: The SCO comprises China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and (as of Wednesday) Belarus.
- Xi arrived in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, ahead of the annual SCO summit.
Speaking at the summit on Thursday, Xi made his oft-repeated observation that the unipolar, Western-led world order is in decline.
He then called on the SCO to work together to build a new world order (SCO 1):
- "We must jointly advocate for an equal and orderly multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization...and promote the development of global governance in a more just and reasonable direction."
SCO attendees were persuaded: The SCO issued a joint declaration that included a "commitment to building a more representative, democratic and just multipolar world system" (SCO 2).
Working together to build a multipolar world has become a key talking point in Beijing's foreign policy spiel.
- Top diplomat Wang Yi mentioned it in his Two Sessions presser back in March, and delivered a similar message at the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in June.
Get smart: Beijing's efforts to replace Western dominance of global governance in favor of a more pluralistic alternative is gaining momentum across the developing world.