One important outcome of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s May 19-20 state visit to China was the adoption of a Joint Statement on Advocating Global Multipolarity and New Types of International Relations.
Without criticising any country by name, it sets out a democratic program for a new world fundamentally at odds with the arbitrary and aggressive paradigm followed by the imperialist and hegemonist powers headed by the United States.
The statement begins by noting that: “Both the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation have long histories and civilisations, are founding members of the United Nations and permanent members of the Security Council, and are important forces in a multipolar world, playing a constructive role in maintaining the global balance of power and improving the international relations system.”
Noting that since the end of World War II, the international landscape and balance of power have accelerated their evolution, it goes on:
“On one hand, the wave of decolonisation and the end of the Cold War have greatly increased the number of sovereign countries worldwide, making the international community more diverse and complex. The development level and international influence of countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean have surged, and the number of regional and transregional organisations has surged, covering areas such as international politics, security, economy, and cultural cooperation, with their roles in global affairs continuously growing.”
However: “Some countries arbitrarily manipulate international affairs, impose their interests worldwide with colonial-era thinking, and restrict the development of other sovereign nations [but this has] completely failed.”
Rather: “The international relations system of the 21st century is undergoing profound transformation, gradually evolving toward multipolarity and new types of international relations.”
But: “The international situation is becoming increasingly complex, with unilateral coercion, hegemonism, bloc confrontation, and neo-colonialism surging against the currents. International law and basic norms of international relations are being continuously trampled, making it even harder for many global governance institutions to coordinate actions between states and mediate international disputes and to operate effectively. World peace and development face new risks and challenges, with the danger of fragmentation and regression to the law of the jungle within the international community.”
The statement then makes a number of calls:
- Adhere to openness, inclusiveness, and mutually beneficial cooperation. We should respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and uniqueness of each country, and respect the development paths and models chosen independently by each sovereign nation. There is no universal development path in the world, nor is there any country or nation superior to others. In the complex international landscape, natural differences between countries should not become obstacles to developing equal, mutually beneficial, and mutually respectful interstate relations. Unilateral means to solve common problems, any form of hegemonic or coercive policies, are unacceptable.
- Adhere to safety, equality, and indivisibility. Against the backdrop of growing risks and challenges facing humanity, building a more united international community means that one country’s security cannot come at the expense of another’s security. All sovereign states enjoy equal rights to ensure their own security. We should pay attention to the legitimate security concerns of all countries, strengthen coordination on security issues, resist bloc confrontation and ‘zero-sum games,’ oppose the expansion of military alliances, hybrid wars, and proxy wars, and advocate for the construction of a balanced, effective, and sustainable new global and regional security architecture.
- Adhere to promoting the democratisation of international relations and improving the global governance system. All countries and national groups are free to choose partners and international cooperation models. Hegemonism is unacceptable and should be resisted. No country or group of countries may control international affairs, dominate the fate of other countries, or monopolise development advantages. Upholding multilateralism is the main approach to solving complex global problems, and its role should be strengthened to prevent the UN’s authority from being weakened. Reforms of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions should serve the interests of all humanity and continuously enhance the representation and voice of developing countries in the international system. Rules established by a few countries cannot replace universally accepted international laws. A major power should earnestly shoulder its special responsibilities and missions, strengthen self-restraint, and refrain from abusing its own strength.
- Uphold world civilisation and value diversity. All human civilisations are equal and possess unique value, with no superiority or inferiority. No civilisation’s moral and spiritual system should be regarded as exclusive or superior to other civilisations.
Both sides agreed that they will continue to develop a shared vision for building a multipolar world and a more just new type of international relations.
The following is the full text of the joint statement. It was originally published in Chinese on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and has been machine translated.
Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Advocating for a Multipolar World and a New International Relationship
May 21 (MFA) – Both the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation have a long history and civilization. They are founding members of the United Nations and permanent members of the Security Council. They are important forces in a multipolar world and play a constructive role in maintaining the global balance of power and improving the system of international relations. Guided by the Sino-Russian Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Multipolarization in the World and the Establishment of a New International Order of April 23, 1997, and the Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on the International Order in the 21st Century of July 1, 2005, In the spirit of the Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on the Current World Situation and Major International Issues of July 4, 2017, and the Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on International Relations and Global Sustainable Development in the New Era of February 4, 2022, the two sides stated as follows:
1. Since the end of World War II, the international landscape and balance of power have evolved at an accelerated pace.
On the one hand, the wave of decolonization and the end of the Cold War have led to a significant increase in the number of sovereign states around the world, a more diverse and complex international community, a leap in the development level and international influence of countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, and a surge in the number of regional and interregional organizations covering various fields such as international politics, security, economic and cultural cooperation And its role in global affairs continues to grow. World-wide connectivity and interdependence have reached unprecedented levels in human history. The reckless manipulation of international affairs by certain countries, the imposition of their own interests on the entire world with colonial-era thinking, and the restriction of the development of other sovereign countries have completely failed.
The international relations system in the 21st century is undergoing profound changes and is gradually evolving towards multipolarization and a new type of international relations. Based on their own historical experience, most countries have deeply realized the advent of a new era, opposed the division of the world into antagonistic regions and camps, and stressed the need to build a more united international community, respect each other’s fundamental interests, treat each other as equals, and cooperate for mutual benefit.
On the other hand, the international situation is becoming increasingly complex, with unilateral coercion, hegemony, camp confrontation and neo-colonialism surging against the tide. International law and basic norms of international relations are constantly being trampled upon. Many global governance institutions are finding it more difficult to coordinate actions among countries and mediate international disputes, making it difficult for them to operate effectively. There are new risks and challenges to world peace and development, and there is a danger that the international community will become fragmented and regress to the law of the jungle.
2. Both sides called on the international community to uphold the following main principles to advocate for an equal and orderly multipolar world and to build a new type of international relations, including a more just and reasonable global governance system:
(1) Adhere to open, inclusive and mutually beneficial cooperation
The sovereignty, territorial integrity and uniqueness of all countries should be respected, as should the development path and development model independently chosen by each sovereign country. Work to bridge divisions and remove transnational barriers in all areas. There is no one-size-fits-all development path in the world, and there are no superior countries or nations. In the complex international situation, natural differences among different countries should not become an obstacle to the development of equal, mutually beneficial and respectful relations among countries. It is in the fundamental interests of all countries to democratize international political relations and build a more open world economy. The use of unilateral means to solve common problems, any form of hegemony and coercive policies are unacceptable.
(2) Upholding equal and indivisible security
Against the backdrop of growing risks and challenges facing humanity, building a more united international community means that the security of one country cannot be compromised at the expense of the security of others. All sovereign States have equal rights to ensure their own security. We should pay attention to the legitimate security concerns of all countries, strengthen coordination on security issues, resist camp confrontation and “zero-sum game”, oppose the expansion of military alliances, hybrid wars and proxy wars, and advocate the construction of a new global and regional security architecture that is balanced, effective and sustainable. The peaceful settlement of differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation should be insisted on, so as to eliminate the problems that are at the root of conflicts. Sovereign States cannot be forced to renounce neutrality.
(3) Adhere to promoting the democratization of international relations and improving the global governance system
All countries and groups of countries are free to choose their partners and international collaboration models. Hegemonism is unacceptable and should be resisted. No country or group of countries may control international affairs, dominate the destiny of other countries, or monopolize development advantages. The global governance system should be continuously improved to create conditions for countries to participate equally in decision-making processes and benefit from them together. As an important tool for regulating the system of international relations, global governance should pursue sovereign equality, abide by the international rule of law, practice multilateralism, advocate people-centeredness, and focus on action orientation. Upholding multilateralism is the main solution to complex global problems, and its role should be strengthened to prevent the weakening of the authority of the United Nations. Reform of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions should serve the interests of all mankind and continuously enhance the representation and voice of developing countries in the international system The Charter of the United Nations is a fundamental norm of international relations and must be observed in its entirety and in its entirety. Generally accepted international legal provisions cannot be replaced by rules established by a few States. Major countries should earnestly shoulder their special responsibilities and missions, strengthen self-discipline, and not abuse their own strength.
(4) Upholding the diversity of world civilizations and values
All human civilizations are equal and have unique values, and there is no distinction between high and low, or between good and bad. The moral and spiritual system of any one civilization should not be considered exclusive and superior to other civilizations. All countries should advocate upholding the concept of civilization based on equality, mutual learning and dialogue, enhance mutual respect, understanding, trust and exchanges among different ethnic groups and civilizations, promote mutual understanding and friendship among peoples of all countries, and protect cultural and civilizational diversity. We firmly oppose using human rights as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and politicize and instrumentalize human rights issues. Religion is an important carrier of human culture and plays a unique role in promoting people-to-people bonds. All countries should create a good environment for religious dialogue and exchanges.
3. The two sides will continue to form a common vision on building a multipolar world and a more just new type of international relations.
