Indeed, China has gone astray from peaceful ascendance and has taken recourse to grabbing lands, maritime channels, and air space of many other countries. So the obvious question today is: how to deal with China’s mounting expansionist threats? To this end, few long-lasting institutional measures need to be initiated, like revising the United Nations charter and international law, with a view to repealing China’s permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and also revoking permanent recognition granted to it by all sovereign states.

Since both these actions against China can’t happen without revising the UN charter and international law, hence there is an utmost necessity for the same. Although it is something very difficult because China itself is a permanent member of the UNSC, and will obviously veto any motion against it therein, yet some special provisions like the earlier Uniting for Peace Resolution initiated by the General Assembly in the wake of the Korean War during 1950-53, may be formulated with collective efforts of the pro-democracy members therein. Fortunately, this resolution has been invoked many times during crucial exigencies that had emerged afterward in the world.

Besides these, the obvious immediate solution for the lone superpower and all major powers, including regional and smaller powers in the world, is to take some concrete and effective steps in such a way so as to form a united and common front against China. This front has to simultaneously work in the following three directions: first, building an all-encompassing global ideological super structure; and secondly, it must be supported by the latest and lethal weaponry to account for a mammoth military buildup to face any unforeseen eventuality; and lastly, they must collaborate themselves to balance China’s commercial the trade-off in their own favour because ongoing trade relations with Beijing continue to be very deep-founded and highly diversified for almost all countries in the world.

Though this may be a hard choice for them, given perhaps the cheapest raw material supply and such labour cost available in China. It is due to this very fact that China has already penetrated profoundly into the national economies of most of the countries. Nonetheless, this front has to consider the price they are paying to Beijing in lieu of nourishing their trade relations with it in terms of rising aggressive imperialism and expansionism that China has been practicing since its inception.

While this front must endeavour to unite all liberal and democratic countries into its fold for protecting and preserving the liberal-progressive ideologies in the world facing serious threats from the Chinese obsolete-monolithic-authoritarian people’s communism, these democracies must obviously form an international alliance against China and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to effectively deter Beijing and must fight a decisive battle if it (China) takes recourse to military options in any way.

Further, this common front must devise harshest sanctions against China under auspicious of the United Nations and these states must freeze their individual diplomatic relations with it. Again, China’s membership in all regional and global forums must be suspended. Similarly, this front must unite in the UN General Assembly to improvise special provisions so as to meet the unprecedented crisis in the world created by China. 

Further, China’s weapons, including nuclear weapons, must also be put under UN control, lest it may retaliate in a hostile way because it is the most irresponsible and deceptive mighty power in the world which never holds its promises, nor respects its international obligations and always stabs in the back to achieve its predetermined goals.

The communist system appears to be the root cause of all these evils where the lifelong presidency of President Xi Jinping has added a new dimension. In fact, this power concentration into one hand is indeed a grave threat to popular aspirations in China and that reflects in the arbitrary and aggressive behavior of its leaders since the very beginning. As aptly commented by the English historian, politician, and writer, Lord Acton that, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Evidently, such an ongoing dictatorial regime in China needs to be uprooted and, instead, a liberal-democratic socio-economic and political set up be promoted therein. For that, Chinese youth had already sacrificed themselves at Tiananmen Square in 1989. Once again the pro-democracy protesters are today active in China and they want to throw away the prevailing autocratic set-up in their country.  

Thus all these measures are taken together, China’s ongoing aggressions in all over the world can be considerably checked and it must be forced to fall in line along the global mainstream, characterized by liberalism, welfare, accountability, transparency, and democracy. Though all these may be treated as temporary measures as long as China does not concede to abide by the international obligations and common and customary practices of social behaviour in the world. But given the past track record of the Chinese leader’s obstinacy and the insistence with their cynical policies of aggressive imperialism these measures have to stay for long to ensure possible course correction in their view regarding the outside world.

Evidently, China will have to give up its bullying practices and will have to respect territorial unity and integrity of all other nations - whether big or small. Nonetheless, if Beijing still persists with its imperialist and undemocratic policies and resorts to war in any way, there will be no option but to take recourse to give a befitting reply that China deserves. But that may lead to a wider conflict, resulting in an unimaginable disaster. Of course, this must not happen.

(The writer is Professor of Political Science at Rajarshi Tandon Open University, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The views expressed are personal)