Russia And China In A Transforming World Order

MOSCOW, Russia: I am sincerely pleased to once again take part in the annual Russian-Chinese Conference, a significant expert event from the point of view of strengthening bilateral mutual understanding.

 

Our forum, and I have been participating in it since its inception, in recent years has become a truly popular discussion platform on a variety of issues, both bilateral relations and the international agenda. This is the topic of this panel session - Russia and China in a transforming world order, which I hope will allow us to take a broad look at the changes taking place in the world, analyze the role of our two countries in them, as well as the possibilities of interaction in the new conditions.

 

I think there is no need to convince anyone that international relations today are experiencing truly epochal, tectonic shifts. Literally before our eyes, a new, and I am sure more equitable, multipolar world order is emerging. A sign of the times is the desire of an increasing number of states in the Global South and East to strengthen their sovereignty in all areas and to implement a pragmatic, independent, nationally oriented course in world affairs. The geopolitical balance of power continues to change not in favor of the “historical” or, as we usually call it, the “collective” West.

 

These main trends also influence the processes that are unfolding on our common continent with China – Eurasia. Here, new world centers continue to strengthen their positions, demonstrating the will to search for solutions in the spheres of politics, security, and economics that would be based on a verified balance of interests of all players.

 

However, the efforts of the countries of the World Majority, including Russia, to promote a creative, future-oriented interstate agenda in Eurasia, and indeed in other regions of the planet, are encountering fierce resistance from the Western minority.

 

It is obvious that the current Western aggression against Russia, taking place in Ukraine, is only part of the “crusade” of the United States and its satellites against any member of the international community that shows independence and puts its own national interests at the forefront. In other words, they want to punish Russia so that others will be discouraged if they decide to raise their voice.

 

At the same time, Washington’s desire with its allies to create a long-term source of tension in the Asia-Pacific region, which is already openly declared as NATO’s area of ​​responsibility, is being recorded. The situation around Taiwan and in the South China Sea is being deliberately escalated. At any moment they can be used for provocations against China according to the Ukrainian scenario. Various narrow formats for military preparations like AUKUS are being put together, essentially the harbingers of an Asian NATO, various “Indo-Pacific strategies” are being promoted, behind the “color wrapper” of which lies the intention to contain the PRC in the region, isolate Russia and ultimately collapse the existing post-Cold War war" around ASEAN, a regional architecture based on equality and the principle of consensus.

 

Taking into account the destructive line of the West to undermine the sustainable development of Eurasia, its unpreparedness for fair competition and joint work, In his Address to the Federal Assembly, President Vladimir Putin outlined the task of forming a new continent-wide architecture of equal and indivisible security, as open as possible to the widest range of countries ready for equal and constructive interaction.

 

We are fully aware of the complexity of the task, but we clearly imagine its result - the unification of the Eurasian space in order to counter common challenges in the name of ensuring peace and prosperity for all its peoples.

 

In this context, it seems logical to rely on the potential of existing international structures that operate on our continent on the principles of equality, openness, and promote a constructive, inclusive agenda in the name of security and development goals. Among them are the Eurasian Economic Community, the CIS, the SCO, ASEAN, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the League of Arab States, the South Asian Regional Cooperation Association, and the Indian Ocean Cooperation Association.

 

Other integration mechanisms on the continent, including in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, are also promising. At the same time, work on Eurasian security must remain open to all states and structures located on our continent, without exception, including those who today, for one reason or another, are not ready to be involved in these efforts.

 

It is logical to assume that it is Russia and China, as the largest states of Eurasia, the relations between which today, without exaggeration, have become a model of how neighboring countries should build their dialogue in the 21st century, could initiate a serious conversation among all constructive forces about the contours of the future Eurasian system security.

 

It appears that the Russian vision fits seamlessly with the global security initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping in 2022, which is also based on the logic of its indivisibility. By the way, it is well known that this principle was recorded by the OSCE back in 1999 in Istanbul and in Astana in 2010. Then the indivisibility of security was proclaimed as a universal political obligation, but, unfortunately, they only proclaimed it without actually adhering to it, that , as we see, led to sad consequences for European security.

 

It may be objected to me that Chairman Xi’s initiative is global in nature, and you are talking about only one continent. This is true, but it can be easier to approach complex topics, moving from simple to complex, from particular to general, and the Eurasian continent, in terms of its scale and the number of potential “hot spots” at its different ends, is hardly inferior to any other part of the world.

 

I believe that Moscow and Beijing could begin a dialogue on this issue also because the Asian component of the Eurasian continent, covering the development territory of the Eurasian Community, the CIS and the SCO, associated with the Chinese “One Belt, One Road” project, has many promising and mutually beneficial areas applications of the truly inexhaustible natural, human and technological resources of our vast continent.

 

I understand that the work ahead on the Eurasian security architecture is titanic. I understand that this is not a matter of one year or two, that this is more of a process than the organization of any one-time meetings and negotiations. But I also understand that it is impossible to postpone the practical start of this work, this conversation - this will only create additional risks for all of us. Security does not tolerate a vacuum, if we do not want a repetition of the mistakes made in Europe, if we do not want new dividing lines, new hotbeds of tension and conflicts to appear in Eurasia, this process must be started, and the sooner the better for the destinies of our continent, and, accordingly, the whole world.

 

*This speech by the Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov was delivered at the session “Russia and China in a transforming world order” within the framework of the 9th International Conference “Russia and China: Cooperation in a New Era”.*