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South China Morning Post
03-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China is ready to be an anchor in a brave new multipolar world
The title of the latest Munich Security Report says it all. After 2022's 'Turning the Tide – Unlearning Helplessness', 2023's 'Re: vision' and last year's 'Lose-Lose?', this year's tome, released ahead of the Munich Security Conference last month, is called 'Multipolarisation'. The unipolar era has ended. Advertisement I was the sole Chinese speaker invited to the conference's kick-off event and attended the report's release. Having taken part in the Munich Security Conference's side events for years, I reckon far more delegates this year were from the Global South, a reflection of rising multipolarity. As US President Donald Trump's agenda takes shape , many attendees seem to view China as a stabilising counterweight – a role China appears poised to embrace. The conference's thematic arc mirrors a broader reckoning . Three years ago, the debate over 'collective helplessness' captured the disarray in the transatlantic sphere. Last year's exploration of 'lose-lose dynamics' framed the tensions of zero-sum competition. This year's focus on multipolarisation reflects a world of dispersing powers – a transition turbocharged by Trump 2.0. Trump's tariff threats and deal-making instincts dominated Munich's corridors, casting a shadow over discussions as attendees grappled with the implications of his aggressive trade agenda. Advertisement
South China Morning Post
19-02-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
The EU runs an insecurity conference in Munich for everyone to see
Thanks to US Vice-President J.D. Vance's now infamous speech blasting the European Union, the Munich Security Report may have attracted some curious readers such as yours truly. In light of his most unkind claims, it's almost prescient about America's unreliability. 'The threat that I worry most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, not China, it's not any other external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values,' he told a stunned audience at the annual security conference. At 151 pages, the report is not bedtime reading, but well worth a look. It's not for nothing that the chapter on America is called 'Maga Carta: United States', a play on 'Make America great again' with the Magna Carta, get it? The report itself is titled 'Multipolarization', exactly the kind of term you expect EU bureaucrats and intellectuals to come up with, but probably won't take off. The authors do get edgier with some chapter titles. The one on China has subtitles such as 'He Says, Xi Says', 'The Emperor's New Boats', a reference to the new Chinese navy, and 'Crazy Rich Asians? China's Economic Clout'. I was half expecting a mention of film star Michelle Yeoh. The chapter on Russia is 'The Czar's Gambit'. Was it a reference to chess openings, the hit TV series The Queen's Gambit , starring Anya Taylor-Joy, the Russians' love of chess, or all of the above? Who knows? Unfortunately, the report wasn't written in a similarly irreverent tone. The first sentence kind of spoiled the fun: 'Today's international system shows elements of unipolarity, bipolarity, multipolarity, and nonpolarity.'
Muscat Daily
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Munich Security Conference in the shadow of Donald Trump
Berlin, Germany – The traditionally close ties between the US and Europe have defined the Munich Security Conference for decades. Despite some differences, there has always been a solid foundation. Everyone worked well together and respected each other. But since US President Donald Trump has come into office, such certainty has been crumbling. This is why the conference has also acted as an indicator of how good trans-Atlantic relations are. And now it is set to kick off this coming Friday. New tensions between US, allies? One thing is certain: A different wind is now blowing from Washington after the first few weeks of Trump's second term as US president. 'America First' is Trump's unwavering mantra, even if it comes at the expense of his allies. These tensions are likely to shape some of the debates to be held in the conference rooms of the prestigious Munich hotel 'Bayerischer Hof', where politicians, military leaders and experts will meet from February 14 to 16. Sixty heads of state and government are expected to attend the MSC, which is regarded as the world's most important forum for security policy. From the new US administration, Vice President J D Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have confirmed their attendance, but not the new US secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth. In addition, conference chair Christoph Heusgen has announced that one of the largest delegations from the US Congress ever to attend the MSC is expected. Among the guests is also the new NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. 'Ripped off' by Europe The MSC is an informal meeting at which no decisions are made. That is why the event encourages an open exchange of views, and conflicts are not swept under the carpet. And Donald Trump has already set a new, sharper tone in trans-Atlantic relations. 'We were being ripped off by European nations both on trade and on NATO,' read a quote by Trump during his election campaign published in the 'Munich Security Report' to accompany the conference. He went on to say to Europe: 'If you don't pay, we're not going to protect you.' According to Trump, the European NATO partners' insufficient investment in their armies is a thorn in his side. He has also repeatedly criticised Germany on this topic. Previously, Washington has paid the lion's share of NATO's costs and offered Europe reliable military protection. Trump now wants this to come with conditions: He is demanding that the allies spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defence. Germany is struggling to meet the 2% that is now regarded as a minimum requirement in NATO. Republican Trump has already proven that he can drastically cut US funds from international organisations. According to the 'Munich Security Report', Trump's camp has also justified this by arguing that even a global power like the US has only limited resources and must use them for the good of its own country. 'Indeed, the notion of 'resource scarcity' has become a central premise of Republican foreign policy thinking,' the report states. Outlines of a peace plan for Ukraine? This could also have a negative impact on aid for Ukraine, where the US had previously led the way. There is certainly no shortage of things to talk about for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, who are both expected in Munich. In the run-up to the conference, rumours have been circulating that Kellogg could present the Trump administration's plan for ending the war in Ukraine at the security conference. In response, conference chairman Heusgen has remained cautious: 'We hope that Munich will be utilised, and we also have indications that it will be used to make progress towards peace in Ukraine.' Heusgen expressed the hope that a peace plan could take shape in Munich. The diplomat emphasised, however, that Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty would have to be preserved. Heusgen was previously a foreign policy adviser to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German ambassador to the United Nations in New York. However, representatives of the Russian government have again not been invited to the MSC. The prerequisite for an invitation is 'a willingness for dialogue', stressed Heusgen, 'and as long as President Putin does not recognise the government in Kyiv or Zelensky, I do not think that such a dialogue is possible'. Representatives of the Russian opposition and nongovernmental organisations, however, are welcome in Munich. Trump's bid for Greenland Unease and outrage were triggered in Europe by Trump's threats to annex territories by force if necessary, including Greenland, which is part of Denmark. US Vice President J D Vance is behind Trump's plans for expansion. Should he reaffirm these plans in Munich, he is likely to meet with fierce opposition, particularly from representatives of the EU and European states. In response to Trump's threat, they warned that the US must abide by international law. 'The integrity of borders is a fundamental principle of international law. This principle must apply to everyone,' commented German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. It was not without reason that conference chair Heusgen has repeatedly emphasised the importance of international law ahead of the conference: 'In my view, there is no better alternative to the order as laid down in the United Nations Charter.' DW
