Just as Europe once exported its own state system of international relations to the rest of the world, so too are Asian countries now reshaping the international system. The conditions for international relations are changing to the advantage of large countries with a strong state, and China plays an important role in this process. If the European Union wants to remain an influential player in the international order, it needs to make clear political-strategic choices.
A characteristic of many countries in Asia is the fact that their governments are willing to intervene extensively in international economic relations in order to achieve political goals that directly serve their own strategic interests. As these countries, led by China, emerge as influential players, they are changing the rules of the game in international relations to the advantage of large countries where the state has greater influence over economic activity. Small countries and countries with open economies have (even) more difficulty getting their voices heard. The rise of big Asian countries is thereby accelerated, while European countries lose influence. Europe can only keep up with these changes if it maintains a coherent strategy that integrates political and economic goals and ambitions in its policies towards newly emerging powers.
China’s role in reshaping international relations is of crucial importance, and can be viewed from two perspectives. On the one hand, China’s international actions originate in factors that are specific to the country. On the other hand, China’s way of practicing international politics can be understood as an exponent of the Asian model of international relations. Put differently: China is ‘merely’ the most recent example that generates the most attention today – particularly because it challenges the hegemony of the United States. China’s economic influence has a global reach, which is evident in many fields, including international trade and finance. Developing as well as developed economies.profit from China’s rise, whether in terms of market access, the availability of cheap labour, the import of Chinese products or Chinese investments and capital.
After all, the Asian countries share a relatively extensive state influence in the economy and use economic diplomacy. The primary difference amongst Asian states is whether the strong role of the state is organised in formal ways (China, Vietnam, Singapore) and or more informally (Japan, South Korea, Indonesia). The common view of the role of the state thus bridges national differences in political and economic systems. It is therefore an illusion to think that the use of economic tools for political purposes will decrease with a change in economic model (from state- to free-market capitalism) or political system (from authoritarian to democratic).