China’s Global Security Vision in a Changing World

Author: Bernardo Mariani

This report examines the Global Security Initiative (GSI), a manifestation of Chinese global security agency offering a vision of security based on China’s worldview, values, and national interests. It outlines the core principles, priorities and cooperation mechanisms of the GSI, the motivations and intent behind the initiative, and the international reactions to it. Amidst the erosion of the ‘rules-based international order’, the report finds that the GSI is gaining traction among countries in the Global South that aspire to a more equitable and inclusive international system, and disagree with Western policies and the perceived double standards in the application of international law. The success or failure of the GSI in upholding a just and equitable multipolar order is yet to be seen. The report recommends the pursuit of more ‘positive-sum games’ with China in handling prominent peace and security challenges and a radical re-appraisal of the Western security paradigm, alongside efforts towards an alternative path of relations with the Global South.

The Global Transitions Series looks at fragmentations in the global order and how these impact peace and transition settlements. It explores why and how different third-party actors – state, intergovernmental, and non-governmental – intervene in conflicts, and how they see themselves contributing to reduction of conflict and risks of conflict relapse. The series critically assesses the growth and diversification of global and regional responses to contemporary conflicts. It also asks how local actors are navigating this multiplicity of mediators and peacebuilders and how this is shaping conflict outcomes and post-conflict governance.