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26 March 2010
GPPi Fellow speaks at conference on global governance in Rio de Janeiro
On 18 March 2010, GPPi Fellow Oliver Stuenkel gave a presentation at a conference on Brazil, China and global governance, organized by the Brazilien Center for International Relations (CEBRI). Along with CEPAL's Brazil director Renato Baumann and Ambassador Paulo Roberto de Almeida, Stuenkel discussed China's perspective on global governance and whether the BRIC nations will be able to strengthen their ties.
In his presentation, Stuenkel emphasized three aspects that dictate China's foreign policy and its views on global governance. First, and most importantly, is the Chinese government's worry to engage in any policy that may endanger domestic growth. The government in Beijing estimates that 8% growth p.a. is necessary to uphold the legitimacy of the one-party system. Its international policies are thus risk-averse, and it will seek to avoid unnecessary exposure that may raise suspicion in the United States. China's domestic constraint and high economic interdependence with the United States ("financial mutually assured destruction") makes a major fallout between the two unlikely.
Secondly, the Chinese government does not see itself merely as a rising and non-established power, but as a global actor that is in the process of returning to its rightful place. Western global dominance over the past centuries has been "a blip in the history of the Chinese civilization". There is consensus that time is on China's side, which explains why the government is not in a rush to claim greater international responsibility.
Finally, similar to Brazil and India, China finds itself in a struggle between developing country identity and global player identity. China shares significant characteristics with other developing countries, such as the memory of foreign occupation, inequality and poverty, yet it also resembles developed countries considering its economic might and geostrategic interests. From an institutional perspective, China can be considered much less revisionist as the other rising powers such as Brazil, which seeks to become a member of the UN Security Council.
With regards to the BRICs, Stuenkel stressed that any attempts to institutionalize the group would likely lead to its dissolution, given the lack of policy consensus between its members. While China and Russia are autocratic, India and Brazil are flourishing democracies. Russia and Brazil are commodity exporters, China and India are importers. While Brazil's agricultural sector is one of the most efficient in the world, India's agriculture is highly inefficient, and New Delhi is thus reluctant to open the market to Brazil's agricultural goods. The group is thus likely to remain a mere platform to exchange ideas.
Oliver Stuenkel is currently writing a book chapter on this topic which will be published by CEBRI in May 2010.
For more information, please contact Oliver Stuenkel.