Today’s Interdependent World and China: Cooperation and Rivalry
- Institution: Akademia Finansów i Biznesu Vistula, Warsaw
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0750-7819
- Year of publication: 2021
- Source: Show
- Pages: 7-24
- DOI Address: https://doi.org/10.15804/so2021201
- PDF: so/20/so2001.pdf
The author examines the importance of the “Chinese factor” in today’s world from the perspective of current phenomena such as particular political and economic uncertainty, and examines them against the background of global cooperation and parallel – unprecedented competition at the same level. Globalization processes have taken place over the centuries, but have gained particular importance in our present day. However, they continue to evolve; however, we have left “the golden age” of globalization (1990–2010) already behind us and the related processes are more difficult now. They have acquired new characteristics and for a new success requires application of entirely new recipes. China ever louder talks about the need for a “new” globalization, in line with its new aspirations as a pretender for the global economy’s leadership position. The Belt and Road Initiative, launched in 2013, has been in the center of its vision. It has become the foundation for China’s foreign policy in the horizon of at least the middle of XXI century. It could be designed to re-confirm the unprecedented China’s economic success of the past four decades, which to a great extent could be derived from a skillful use of the “traditional” mechanisms of globalization. In the Belt and Road Initiative, China sees the prescription for overcoming emerging internal tensions and difficulties and the new way to a global success. The author examines the emerging at this stage, complex challenges for today’s China and the Belt and Road Initiative, that can be defined as “external” and dependent not only on own Chinese decisions. They stem e.g. from the need to overcome many barriers and cultural differences between China and its countries-partners in the Belt and Road project. On the other hand, the author identifies some “internal” challenges of systemic nature. Their reduction, and sometimes even abolition, depends mainly on mechanism applied independently by the Chinese side.