SIT alumni call on Washington to pursue diplomacy with China
January 15th, 2024 | Alumni, SIT Study Abroad
A pair of SIT Study Abroad alumni are calling for Washington to revise its response to China's Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) as part of a global shift in favor of diplomacy rather than military solutions.
In an article published last month by the Uzbek Press and Information Agency Daryo, SIT Switzerland: International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy fall 2023 alumni Dylan Morgan, a University of Iowa graduate, and Bryan Soh, an undergraduate at Claremont McKenna College, note that the U.S. is relying more on military action than diplomacy to address conflicts such those between Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Palestine.
"While conflict escalation might not be the U.S.’s intention, Washington consistently fails to explore other options for resolving global issues," they write.
One area where diplomacy could lead to positive change is China, they note, specifically Chinese President Xi Jinping’s "foreign policy brainchild," the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is aimed at building critical infrastructure in developing countries. The BRI "has cemented China as a rising global power and furthered the trend towards multipolarity, with the U.S. in relative decline," they write.
While conflict escalation might not be the U.S.’s intention, Washington consistently fails to explore other options for resolving global issues.
"Cooperation should begin through diplomatic engagement with China. The U.S. must engage in common good diplomacy and acknowledge that, in this specific area, China can be a partner. China has publicly announced its willingness to work with other global infrastructure initiatives, such as Europe’s Global Gateway, a key part of the [Partnership for Global Instrastructure]. While the U.S. is likely to remain hawkish towards China’s intentions in the near future, the U.S. can meet Beijing halfway in global development."
Although the BRI is wavering due to criticisms of 'debt trapping', corruption, and harmful environmental standards, Morgan and Soh say Xi’s announcement of reforms last year -- including smaller, greener, and more commercially led projects -- "presents a critical juncture of opportunity for the U.S. to flex its capabilities where Beijing is lacking."
"As a geo-economic strategy, the U.S. would be able to complement weaknesses in China’s BRI without matching it dollar-for-dollar. While China has signaled its pivot to a commercially-led, smaller-fund, and more ‘green’ approach, the U.S. can leverage its influence in multilateral standard-setting institutions to spearhead anti-corruption efforts in BRI deals. The Inflation Reduction Act's (IRA) creation of a conducive ecosystem gives Washington the credibility to offer both knowledge-sharing and capacity-building in low-carbon infrastructure."
Anti-Chinese rhetoric and decoupling strategies ought to be eased in favor of cooperation initiatives along with a re-commitment to tangible development in the Global South.
Building on the recent meeting between President Biden and President Xi on the sidelines of the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Morgan and Soh suggest talks on infrastructure cooperation could take place on the side of the next G77 conferences or the 2024 UN climate talks.
Conceding that cooperation will need to start small, they say such meetings could create a platform for significant future coordination. "One possible area is in the types of infrastructure the two sides specialize in. China has much more experience in 'hard' projects such as ports and railways, while the West has more experience with 'soft' projects like education and health care, in which China is seeking more involvement."
"To yield larger results, the U.S. can enhance [World Trade Organization] and [International Monetary Fund] cooperation with Chinese-led multilateral financial institutions like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Asian Development Bank. While the two western-centric and U.S.-led international institutions are unlikely to reform their major shortcomings to become more effective and attractive for the developing world, they have financial resources that can contribute to these projects."
Such an approach "must come in the context of a paradigm shift in the American approach toward the trend of multipolarity," they conclude.
"It is already evident that decoupling from China is a knee-jerk reaction causing the U.S. more harm than good. Anti-Chinese rhetoric and decoupling strategies ought to be eased in favor of cooperation initiatives along with a re-commitment to tangible development in the Global South. Strategic cooperation, especially in the areas of education and manufacturing, is beneficial to the American economy and also to Washington’s credibility in leading global development."
Dylan Morgan is a graduate of the University of Iowa, received a Bachelors in International Relations and Political Science, and was a student on SIT Switzerland: International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy. Research experience on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Central Asia, and the Tajik Civil War. Clerk at the State of Iowa Senate and Campaign Manager for Senator Erick Giddens. [email protected]
Bryan Soh is an undergraduate studying International Relations at Claremont McKenna College, with a focus in U.S.-China relations and environmental policy-making. He has previously worked in the National Climate Change Secretariat in Singapore, and was a Keck Center Research Fellow for the Study of Race in International Relations. [email protected]