The “smile diplomacy” of Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Bali last month should not fool anyone. The strategy was apparently clear: to seduce and give the impression that China is ready to use its power of influence to solve the great problems of this world. From Joe Biden to Emmanuel Macron via the Australian or German leaders, they all rushed to shake hands with the leader of the second world power who was leaving China for only the second time since the Covid epidemic three years ago. year. As if Xi Jinping could be the “peacemaker” of the war in Ukraine led by Vladimir Putin’s Russia or the “moderator” the ardor of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who has fired more than 60 ballistic missiles since the beginning of the year.
What an illusion! By reading the excellent work of the sinologist Alice Ekman, Last flight to Beijingwe understand that this diplomatic strategy does not aim to « pacifier » the world but only to serve the Chinese interests of the moment. Through his diplomacy today, underlines Alice Ekman, “China does not hide its desire to become the world’s leading power while shaping a new world order” of which it will be the point of equilibrium. Thus, Beijing “opposes the democratic model and proposes alternatives” she insists again. Of course, China is not the first country to want to fight democracies and their values, but “it is the first power to have the economic and human means to do so”. And in particular through its immense diplomatic network deployed throughout the world.
A book for non-specialists
There are books on China that contribute more than others to refreshing your memory, distrusting appearances and putting into perspective a Chinese trajectory that has been underway for several decades, and Alice Ekman’s book is one of them. Everything is there. The fledgling Chinese diplomacy of the 1950s, the slow but solid professionalization of its ambassadors in the service of economic development. And finally the aggressive diplomacy launched by Xi Jinping during the Covid epidemic, embodied by Chinese diplomats “wolves warriors” worldwide.
Intended for non-specialists, this book clearly explains that “ideological ambitions” Chinese companies go beyond its economic interests: Hong Kong, “zero Covid”, Beijing’s support for Vladimir Putin. And Alice Ekman to recall that even without Xi Jinping, the logic would be the same. And to conclude: “Everything indicates that the ideological renewal, for 10 years, will continue in the coming years. » For the greater glory of the Chinese Communist Party.