How China has managed to outsmart great powers on the global stage

President William Ruto and Chinese President Xi Jinping during bilateral talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. [File, Standard]

Few countries can boast of the success in world affairs that The Peoples Republic of China, or Modern China, can. It celebrated 75 years of being as a continuing ideologically-inclined political entity with embassies abroad holding ceremonies to stress its presence in those countries. It distributed books about its successes that tend to be heavy on the governance ideas of what the Chinese refer as “The Core”, meaning President Xi Jinping.

Ambassadors from rival countries showed up and in Nairobi US Ambassador Meg Whitman was present. China, so argued Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi at the celebration, contributes to social and economic transformation and is “a reliable and strategic partner for Kenya”. Mudavadi was the chief guest.

The US and China are strong geopolitical competitors for global supremacy. While the US has slight lead in the economy and technology, China leads in penetrating the world in well calibrated moves. While the US annoys with noisy threats and promises but never delivers, China makes less noise and goes out of its ways to be seen to deliver. This makes the US, despite its visible might, a declining power while China is rising by exploiting America's negative policies, particularly in the Global South.

Among the factors that help the Chinese to rise to global dominance is the ability to adapt and project novelty long term. In 1922, idealists were inspired by the Bolshevik success in Russia to form the Communist Party of China, to plant communism in China. Contravening the Marxian teaching that communism could be in advanced industrial countries, both the Russians and the Chinese found excuses in Vladimir Lenin’s claim that since “imperialism” had subverted the historical process, they were justified in first imposing communism in less industrialised Russia and China and second in making anti-imperialism part of their global identities.

Communist Chinese achieved their goal after roughly 25 years of struggle in October 1949 and made themselves such a force to reckon with that they became the envy of previously powerful countries and the inspiration of others who felt exploited.

The inspiration aspect, especially in the Global South, is partly due to China’s identification with anti-imperialistic resentments directed at the arrogance of the Conceptual West to the rest. It remained focused abroad while getting its domestic house in order by reorganising the economy to become self-sufficient and to avoid dependency in supporting its big population.

It managed to get surpluses which it then ‘donated’ or exported to other poor countries at affordable prices. The ‘donations’, whether in the form of building stadia or schools, or offering goods and services at affordable prices was part of its long term global anti-imperialist crusade that made it the power that it has become. It repeatedly stresses its ‘Third World’ status even after surpassing many in the ‘First World’ in almost everything.   

In the 75 years since grabbing power, Communist China manages to attract anti-imperialistic countries to its geopolitical orbit. It moved from being an international pariah state, especially after African states helped it to join the United Nations in 1971, to being the centre of global attention. In the BRICS constellation, for instance, China appears to be the main player along with Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa championing multi-polarity and offering alternatives to the West. It is attractive to many former European colonies in Africa who turn up in large numbers at the regular FOCAC meetings in Beijing. Kenya is among those that regularly attend the FOCAC meetings.

China outperforms other powers because it is more “reliable and strategic” than its rivals. Since not all powers, given their inability to deliver on commitment, receive the accolade of being ‘reliable and strategic’, China moves a notch higher in world power competition. That reliability, especially the ability to deliver when others dither and make insulting noise, helps China’s global interests in world politics. It is China’s success.