China’s Geostrategic Ambitions in the Context of the Emergence of a New World Order

The features of Chinese policy aimed at establishing global dominance within the framework of a potentially bipolar world are revealed. It is found that for a long period of time China has been pursuing a strategy of gaining superpower status by forming a circle of allies from among the countries of the so-called Global South, represented mainly by autocracies. Under such circumstances, China is increasingly actively pushing the idea of building a new bipolar world in the medium term. China has quite large-scale means of “soft power”, being able to project a positive image and global influence through the spread of culture, Chinese uniqueness and authenticity. It is proven that in recent years China has been actively building its People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which is a powerful geopolitical argument for ensuring influence. In addition, the PRC claims leadership positions in the introduction of high scientific technologies into the military and a number of economic spheres. One of the signs of China’s global ambitions is its total expansion of its presence in Africa, in particular by displacing the United States and key European Union countries, primarily France. An equally important geostrategic case for China is the scaling up of its partnership with Latin American countries, in particular within the BRICS framework. All this once again indicates China’s global ambitions. China is increasingly seeking to expand its influence in Southeast Asia as a sphere of traditional influence of the United States and its allies. In this context, the PRC considers the South China Sea as a zone of its exclusive geostrategic responsibility. It is noted that one of China’s key interests in this direction is to consolidate its presence in the area of the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos. It is for this purpose that the PRC is constantly strengthening its navy. Such steps by China are primarily related to establishing control over the rich oil and gas fields located within the shelves of the aforementioned islands. In this way, the PRC is trying to expand the diversification of energy supplies, the need for which for the Chinese economy will only grow. It has been confirmed that Beijing has long had geostrategic intentions to restore control over Taiwan within the framework of the so-called Greater China reunification program. Having a powerful economy, a high-tech sector, and deep integration into international politics, China faces a number of challenges related to the rejection of the authoritarian political model at the international level, complex relations with neighboring states, and intense competition with the United States, which slows down and limits Chinese global dominance.