‘Big questions remain’ for China taking leadership role on the world stage
Global governance system may need overhaul to accommodate China’s rise, former senior US official says
Despite its material capacity to rise as a world power, Beijing still has a long way to go to meet international expectations of how it should apply its military and economic weight and adhere to global governance norms, a former senior US official has said.
Speaking at the annual China Conference hosted by the South China Morning Post on Thursday, Daniel Russel, former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, also conceded that the global governance system needed a major overhaul to accommodate China’s rise.
Russel, who is diplomat in residence and senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, noted there was a big gap between Beijing’s ambitions and international confidence in it taking a leadership role on the world stage, especially among China’s neighbours.
“I don’t think anybody doubts that China has the material capacity to achieve President Xi Jinping’s ambitious [global] agenda, but there are some big questions that are outstanding,” he said.
A recent Pew Research Centre poll in Asia showed some major countries in the region had very little confidence in an expanded and sustained Chinese leadership role in global governance despite Beijing’s attempts to portray itself as a benevolent power.
