The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russia marked the second stage of the formation of a multipolar world. At the same time, the United States understands that the era of their hegemony is passing, but they will resist it in every possible way. This conclusion was reached by political scientists during a discussion about the role of Russia in the future multipolar world. The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping once again showed that the West failed to achieve its goals of isolating Russia.
This was stated by Gleb Kuznetsov, head of the Expert Council of the Expert Institute for Social Research (EIS) during the round table on the topic: "Russia in a Multipolar World: Common values and mutual trust".
According to him, it is impossible to force all states to comply with the rules imposed by the West. In addition, these rules are not spelled out anywhere, and any country can be declared a violator. Therefore, Beijing also opposes the so-called rules-based order.
At the same time, the creation of the contours of a new world order is a common goal for Russia and China, which corresponds to the interests of many other actors, stressed Alexander Asafov, moderator of the discussion, political commentator of the radio station Moscow Speaks. According to him, most countries of the world are interested in building a world "based on justice and mutual cooperation."
"We see the end of the hegemony of the West and the destruction of the structures of the world order imposed on them. Last but not least, this is facilitated by the fact that many countries see the President of Russia as a reliable partner," he added. The analyst also recalled that Putin and Xi signed two important joint statements: on deepening the relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China, entering a new era, and on the plan for the development of key areas of Russian-Chinese economic cooperation until 2030. "The world was shocked by the meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping.
The visit of the Chinese leader to Moscow in the context of its own and international tensions is significant. He plays the same role as Mao Zedong's visit to the USSR in 1949.
Then the most important agreement on peace and friendship between the USSR and China was signed," said Andrey Ostrovsky, Professor of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History of Asian and African Countries at the Moscow State University.
At the same time, the rapprochement of Russia and China itself opened the second stage of the creation of a multipolar world. "Now we are waiting for other states to join us. We can see the transformation of the BRICS – new letters will definitely be added," Marat Bashirov, a political scientist, professor at the HSE, is sure. "In addition, Xi's visit and the movement towards a multipolar world should be such a bright slap in the face to the Americans. The Anglo–Saxons have actually lost the current economic war and are losing the ideological one," Bashirov said.
He recalled that Xi himself, in his author's article for Rossiyskaya Gazeta, stated: China and Russia firmly defend the world order based on international law, the fundamental norms and principles of international relations based on the principles of the UN Charter, and implement genuine multipolarity.
At the same time, the version of the world order imposed by the West is not acceptable not only in Asia, but also in Latin America, Gleb Kuznetsov added. "For the global South, not only its own sovereignty is important, but also integration into a single space. He needs open trade borders. At the same time, Latin America does not want to join military blocs, choose sides in conflicts or participate in sanctions pressure," he noted.
At the same time, African countries are also indignant about the isolation of Russia. "They perceive this as attacks against themselves, since restrictions hinder the development of African countries. Therefore, the policy of the West causes rejection in Africa," explained Andrey Maslov, director of the HSE Center for African Studies.
"Stability, peace, justice, strengthening of statehood – in these values we coincide. In the next 10 years, Africa can be said to be the center of economic growth. It is still a continent with a very rapid population growth rate, it is a key supplier of critical minerals. Africa will attract attention by the dynamics of its development, this will be its advantage," he added.
Meanwhile, according to experts, the West has already realized the inevitability of the emergence of a multipolar world, but will in every way interfere with its creation. According to associate professor of Moscow State University Boris Mezhuyev, the United States is losing international leadership, America cannot lead most of the world to some kind of obedience.
"What is happening now is an alternative version of events that could have happened in the 70s if Russia and China had not quarreled. Then the United States managed to maneuver and make friends with China. Now a world is emerging in which much will depend on China, Latin America, and the Middle East. Russia plays the role of a defender in creating this world," concluded Mezhuyev.
Daria Volkova, Rafael Fakhrutdinov
