China and global governance: Leadership through BRI

Abstract

The present global structure in which an economically unprecedented rise of China is highly institutionalized, fragmented, issue-specific, and is predominated by the US and its allies. Beijing pursues greater global governance proactivity with more assertive agendas and a more realistic and dualistic approach under the current presidencies. As President Xi’s overarching foreign policy, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) mainly seeks to enhance the connectivity of infrastructure, trade liberalization, and global financial integration. This work attempts to investigate the efficacy of the BRI in serving Beijing’s quest for leadership in global governance. The conclusion is that the initiative has been useful, but more work is required. The study found that it is a crucial stage before rising dominant powers come to assume global leadership.