The Chinese Mans Burden

Why China Thinks It Can Build a Utopian World Order

China is eager to show the world that it can be a responsible and accountable global leader.
The National Interest November 23, 2016
Patrik K. Meyer

Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling argued in The White Mans Burden that it is the moral
responsibility of the superior white race to occupy lands populated by people who are half-devil
and half child and to rule over them for their own good. He implied that the purpose of Western
colonialism and U.S. imperialism was not to amass wealth and power, but rather, to civilize
savages and lead them in the process of building a grand society. Similarly, the Chinese regime
has taken upon itself the burden of guiding the whole world in the process of jointly achieving a
prosperous, harmonious and unified order. The fundamental difference is that Chinese intentions
are mostly genuine. Beijing believes that its superior civilization provides the leadership with the
necessary skills to lead mankind in the process of building a utopian world order, known by
Chinese since ancient times as Tianxia.
A widely accepted translation of Tianxia is all under the heaven, referring to the union of all
the lands and peoples on earth. It is worthwhile to note that historically, the gods did not appoint
Chinese emperors to rule just over a limited region of the world such as the Central Kingdom,
but over Tianxia, over all the lands and peoples under the heaven. Hence, uniting the whole
Chinese Empire would result in its frontiers overlapping the limits of the Universe, i.e. the
whole earth. Additionally, for the full establishment of Tianxia, the emperors had also to achieve
a universal agreement in the hearts of all people, a common identity, and a global institution to
grant universal order. For this reason, Chinese emperors were fixated with achieving unity
territorial, political, social, cultural unity to turn the chaotic world into the utopian Tianxia.
Following in the steps of Chinese emperors, the Communist Party aspires to unite its peoples and
the international community under the umbrella of a common world order. It envisions a united
world governed by a global institution responsible for promoting a set of common values that are
inclusive of all existing cultures and prevent any one of them from becoming dominant. This
would result in internal harmony within diversity, where individual interests are so
interlocking and mutually constituted that anyones gain will always result in a gain for others.
Moreover, China argues that given the failure of Western approaches to global governance due
to their cultural, religious and economically imperialistic tendencies, the Tianxia system offers
the best blueprint for world politics in the future.
The contemporary version of the Tianxia concept was first introduced to the world in the form of
a slogan for the Beijing Olympics in 2008: One Dream One World. A world united by common
objectives and values. Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee,
explained that One Dream One World conveys the noble ideal of people in Beijing as well as in
China to share their civilization and create a bright future hand in hand with people from the rest

of the world." Ancient Chinese civilization should guide mankind to the bright future that
Tianxia represents. These lofty intentions are also part of President Xis Chinese Dream,
which argues that the Chinese civilization and nation will be the guide and engine leading
international society along a prosperous path. This will fulfill mankinds dream of establishing a
peaceful and bright world along with humanitys happiness.
China is more eager than ever to show the world that it is capable and willing of being a
responsible and accountable global leader that is capable, in President Xi words, of building an
international community with a shared destiny for mankind. For this purpose, during the eighth
summit of the G-20 in 2013, China introduced Chinas plan. With it, the Chinese foreign
minister argued, China would contribute more of its wisdom and guidance to build a peaceful,
prosperous and harmonious world together with other nations. And China is walking the talk by
launching a number of global initiatives aimed at achieving a bright future for all, the most
prominent of which is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Under the headline Vision and Actions on Jointly Building Belt and Road, the BRI is
described as harmonious and inclusive, an initiative that advocates tolerance among
civilizations, respects the paths and modes of development chosen by different countries, and
supports dialogues among different civilizations on the principles of seeking common ground
while shelving differences and drawing on each other's strengths, so that all countries can coexist
in peace for common prosperity.
The constructive and global nature of the BRI is continuously emphasized in the Chinese media
with statements and headlines such as, the BRI is a key contribution to world stability, equality
and Connecting the World Through Belt & Road. More significantly, China argues that it is
capable of finding globally beneficial answers to the complex challenges that the world is facing.
The BRI is not just a massive economic initiative, it is a model of global relations and
governance. It is the Chinese roadmap to achieve a united Tianxia, to make One World One
Dream a reality. It is the physical evidence that China is taking on its historical burden of leading
mankind in building a united, harmonious and prosperous world for all. Or so China claims.

Patrik K. Meyer is a Visiting Professor at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta and a New

America Security Fellow.