On the occasion of the annual World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, the forum released the 2018 Global Risks Report, expressing concern about the rise of trade protectionism caused by the rise of nationalism and populist politics.
U.S. President Trump plans to sell the "America First" policy at this annual meeting.
In the past year, the United States has repeatedly "withdrawn" from the group, damaging many international multilateral economic and security mechanisms, and multilateralism has encountered headwinds.
At the same time, the rise of narrow nationalism in many European countries and the surge of isolationism and protectionism have also brought challenges to the development of multilateralism.
Despite this, international authorities still firmly believe that multilateralism is the inevitable choice for world development and will continue to face headwinds in 2018.
Robert Keohane, a professor at Princeton University in the United States, believes that the adjustment of U.S. policies has put pressure on multiple international mechanisms, which is the biggest feature of global governance in 2017.
Multilateralism is facing challenges, and the most direct manifestation is that the United States has successively withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and has also threatened to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Iran Nuclear Deal.
Doubts about multilateralism actually stem from changes in the internal political environment of developed countries such as the United States.
Populist movements have emerged in some European and American countries. Some middle-class and grassroots people believe that globalization has harmed their vital interests. Therefore, they oppose multilateralism based on international political consciousness and reflect the interests of all parties, emphasizing the supremacy of their own country's interests.
Is the rise of populist movements in the West the fault of multilateralism?
the answer is negative.
In fact, from the United Nations to the European Union, from the World Trade Organization to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, these multilateral mechanisms have a clear role in ensuring world peace and promoting the development of various countries.
In the international order they jointly built, most countries have developed steadily and people's lives have improved day by day. Especially in developing countries, hundreds of millions of people have been able to escape poverty, war and suffering.
The reason for the rise of anti-multilateralist politics is that these countries have serious internal policy imbalances and are trying to find scapegoats for themselves by "framing" multilateral mechanisms.
Keohane wrote an article for "Foreign Affairs" magazine and pointed out that Western elites have benefited from globalization and multilateralism, but have neglected to feed back ordinary people and paid no attention to providing protection for people who are not adapted to global competition and have even lost their jobs, leading to poverty in Western societies.
The widening wealth gap has fueled opposition from the middle and working classes.
Although multilateralism has encountered headwinds in recent years, it is gaining new momentum amid important adjustments in the balance of global economic and political power.
Since the international financial crisis in 2008, the economic development of Western developed countries has suffered setbacks, especially the growth slowdown in the United States. Its comparative advantage has further narrowed, and its confidence and ability to lead the world have been weakened.
The United States began to consider costs and benefits more and began to put U.S. interests first.
Wolf, the chief economic commentator of the British Financial Times, believes that "They (senior US officials) prefer bilateralism to multilateralism; they prefer the unilateral exercise of US power to system-based cooperation." On the other hand, with
Emerging markets and developing countries represented by the "BRICS" countries such as China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa have risen as a group. Their comprehensive national strength has been enhanced, their influence in international affairs has been significantly improved, and they have played a greater role in major global multilateral mechanisms.
play a major role in bringing new vitality to multilateralism.
Chen Yue, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, believes that the international order established by Western powers, led by the United States, does not fully consider the requirements of developing countries and emerging powers.
After 70 years of post-war development, its unreasonableness and imperfections have gradually become apparent, and corresponding adjustments and reforms are imperative.
Both history and reality tell us that narrow nationalism and protectionism are dead ends; multilateralism is an effective way to maintain peace and promote development.
History is the best textbook.
From the late 1920s to the early 1930s, the United States suffered from the Great Depression.
During this period, the U.S. government introduced the "Smoot-Hawley Act" and increased import tariffs on raw materials, resulting in a sharp decline in U.S. exports and becoming one of the reasons why the United States was unable to get out of the Great Depression.
Wolff points out that the Great Depression had discredited narrow nationalism and protectionism.
In today's world, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and mobile Internet of Things are driving industrial transformation. The world economy is undergoing profound adjustments, and skills anxiety is becoming increasingly common.
At this juncture, all countries around the world should learn lessons from the Great Depression that broke out in 1929.
Maintaining and developing multilateralism is an inevitable choice to respond to today's global challenges and solve current world problems. It is also the trend of historical development.
In line with the general trend of the world, China unswervingly supports and safeguards multilateralism.
As China continues to develop, China's support for multilateralism has also grown stronger.
United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said, “China has become an important pillar of multilateralism, and our purpose of practicing multilateralism is to build a community with a shared future for mankind.