China: A Partner in Development or a "New Imperialism"?
While major powers were waging wars directly or through proxies, China was seeking a partnership-based approach to economy and development in Africa and the developing world.
For nearly a month, China participated in several events hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait, including celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of relations with Africa and the Arab world, and the governance initiative launched in 2025.
Viewing China’s role in major international crises and wars should not be through the lens of military power, which we have become accustomed to and which the United States currently employs, and before it, Britain when it was an empire on which the sun never set, but rather through the lens of economics, first and foremost.
If we are to assess the reality, the starting point would be as follows: From what perspective are these relationships framed? Are they based on mutual interests or on acquiring natural resources that China needs?
What has emerged on the surface is a set of facts indicating that China is a quintessential international player, entering the global stage through the prism of mutually beneficial partnerships. It is a soft power, but one expressed in an economic and developmental framework, far removed from tanks and missiles.
The governance initiative launched by President Xi Jinping in 2025 is based on five principles or rules, one of which stipulates the necessity of “the rule of international law.”
China has adhered to the principle of win-win cooperation and practiced a global governance approach based on consultation and mutual benefit. Yet, what about the wars and crises that have unfolded around us in the past decade, where major powers apply those standards? Or do they impose double standards and their own rules on others?
Where is justice and rationality in global governance? And how can it be achieved? There is a wide gap between ideal principles and the ability to prevent the use of military force, which does not recognize international law or sovereignty, which it claims to respect.
We have living examples that provide the answer. Look at what happened in Venezuela: the president of a legitimate state was forcibly abducted from within his presidential palace, with no regard for what is called international law.
Israel has destroyed half of Gaza’s population and turned it into a desert. Was justice and equality applied throughout three years of continuous destruction? Where is international law in this context, and what have other major powers done to stop it or change its course?
Another look at China’s role in Africa and how strategic partnerships have evolved amid escalating conflicts of interest and influence among major powers.
