China's new multilateral institutions and liberalism in international order

Has the government of China created new multilateral institutions—such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the New Development Bank—to undermine liberalism in international order and replace it with its own norms and values? To listen to many Western and some Chinese observers, one would think so. This paper argues that the real picture is more complex. It develops several points. First, liberalism in international order is both shallower and more contested than existing accounts often allow. In that respect, China’s reluctance to embrace a liberal agenda is nothing exceptional. Second, China’s new institutions cannot all be painted with the same brush. While some of China’s new institutions appear to challenge key tenets of liberalism in international order, others may even reinforce it. Third, even institutions that are created by powerful states must provide other states with incentives for membership, resulting in mutually acceptable compromises. Consequently, attempts simply to ‘upload’ Chinese norms are not always successful. Nonetheless, through the processes of layering and differential growth, China’s multilateral institutions may represent a form of change in international order that is both incremental and fundamental.