The Era of New Hegemon World Order

Once there was a young boy in a village. He was a kid when both of his parents died a natural death. He was left to live a miserable life by nature. None of his relatives, friends came forward to lend a helping hand. With time, that boy grew up into an adult. But that experience shooked him badly from inside. He earned a lot of name, fame later. Then he came to assert his power what he’d achieved over the years.

The aforementioned story is no less than what we know today as of China. The policy he’d adopted came to be known as ‘Tao Gaung Yang Hui’ which means, keeping a low profile and bide your time while also getting something accomplished. And what he’s doing to the rest of the world order is termed as ‘Wolf Warrior Diplomacy’ by academia.

Hailing from colonial times to the present day, it’s no less than a rollercoaster experience for PRC as it is officially called. This article isn’t about what China is doing nowadays, or how he’s treating his fellow mates but to express viewpoints from different perspectives about how he’d achieved so much and why he’s running after almost everything.

Adopting the Salami Tactics, he continuously acquired territories of neighbouring nations and especially those who went wrong with anything about him. In this technique, one will ask only for a short piece and then conquer it, will repeatedly be doing it until and unless the other nation is frustrated with it and retaliate with whatever it can.

This whole issue can be understood with Mao’s Right Palm Theory, according to which, Tibet is the main palm of China, which was annexed in 1950. Now, after the palm, are the fingers. Those 5 fingers represent Aksai Chin in Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh (NEFA). If you don’t resist, he’ll ask for more until there is the annexation of the substantial part of territory backed by what is called Cartographic Aggression. Everything that is taken over is backed by showing maps of God knows of what time it is.

During the changing times, there are new ways to develop your hegemony. First is obviously by being strong and adamant about your economic well-being. With over $5 trillion economy, he’s thumping his assertion over smaller nations in South Asia and adjoining regions. The story goes on, till strategic opening upon of Chinese economy to start competing with global standards.

Now coming to the bone of contention, about why I thought to pen down this article is because of Belt and Road Initiative (formerly called as One Belt and One Road Initiative) in which surprisingly Belt is used for Land-based silk route having traces from ancient times and Road is used for Maritime Silk Route. You’d be like, every country undertakes connectivity projects, so why so much hype or contention about this particular issue then?

Then for your sake, I would like to draw your kind attention to this particular point that no connectivity projects are seen as personal projects by the head of state out there. Informally put forward by Xi Jinping in 2013 during his official visit to Kazakhstan and Indonesia, this formally landed over with around $200–300Billion investment. Now, there is greek saying TIMEO DANAOS ET DONA FERENTES (I fear Greeks, even when they bring gifts), it’s surprising enough that a nation will be investing in any project worth that much money according to unofficial reports without any major Geo-strategic gains apart from fulfilling mere economic gains.

Why I’m relating this to the rise of new hegemons under new world order is because of the following points:

• This connectivity project isn’t based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality.
• It’s not following principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create an unsustainable debt burden for communities.
• ain’t complying against balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards.
• not so transparent assessment of project costs
• doesn’t talk about skill and technology transfer to help long term running and maintenance of assets created by local communities
• must be pursued in a manner that respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity which it isn’t

Stating the aforementioned points only, India never turned up for formal invitation in 6 separate forums that China had organized as part of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing from 14–16th May 2017.

China’s unprecedented economic growth led to conclude that it will replace the United States as the future global hegemon. However, China’s intentions in exercising future global leadership are yet unknown and difficult to extrapolate from its often contradictory behaviour. A preliminary overview of China’s island-building in the South China Sea reveals its potentially coercive intentions. This inference is consistent with the analysis of those who prognosticate China’s violent rise. Conversely and simultaneously, China’s participation in peacekeeping operations and its global investments evince its benevolent hegemonic intentions, which are congruent with the argument of those who predict China’s peaceful hegemonic ascent.