On July 7, 2025, Hitotsubashi University’s Institute for Global Governance Research (GGR) hosted its 41st Brown Bag Lunch Seminar titled “Is China Building a Rival International Order and How Would We Know?” featuring Matthew D. Stephen, Professor of International Political Economy at The Helmut Schmidt University (University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg), located in Germany.

Professor Stephen presented an ongoing research project analyzing the nature of China-sponsored international institutions and organizations in which China has been listed as a co-founder. His lecture began by explaining the ongoing debate regarding the role of the International Liberal Order (ILO) and how recent phenomena, including Trump’s policies, have weakened said framework.

The speaker pointed out that the questions of how stable and robust the ILO really is are paired with the overall concern about China building a rival international order. In his view, there is little evidence of a “rival” international order, and this would instead be an “additional international order.” He supported his view by showing preliminary results of a study surveying 93 cases of international organizations where China has been a founding member since 1990. The researchers also identified entities where China is a growing leader, or where it is a central actor engaging in what they called “bi-multilateral” forums.

Topics discussed with the audience during the Q&A session included the United States’ role in the international order vis-à-vis China, and the changes in the international liberal order and norm compliance due to China’s rise.

In summary, Professor Stephen’s conclusions are that China’s tendency to build organizations that include authoritarian countries is not greater than the world’s average; that the United States’ inclusion of organizations founded by China has declined over time; and that Beijing might be gradually building a framework of institutions that provide China with a more central position or role.

【Event report prepared by】
HANNIG NUÑEZ Sascha (Doctoral student, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University)