Description
In recent years China has put forward new global governance initiatives, with the apparent goal of reforming areas of international order such as security or development. Among these is the Global Civilization Initiative, which aims to promote shared values, “inter-civilization dialogue” and cultural diversity. Unlike its more high-profile predecessors the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, however, the Global Civilization Initiative does not seem to focus on an immediately pressing issue in global governance. Civilization, unlike development or security, is not a well-established global public good and there are no high-profile international institutions dominated by the United States in this area that China might seek to displace. Yet the fact that it shares the same naming convention as these other major initiatives indicates the project’s importance to the Chinese government. This paper analyses the Global Civilization Initiative as a strategic meta-narrative that attempts to shape a shared understanding of how ideational forces, such as values, ideology and culture, should interact at the global level. It investigates what it tells us about China’s approach to the global governance of ideas, and explores its implications beyond just assisting the Chinese government to push back against the universalism of Western liberal democracy.
