China has no interest in being ‘world’s policeman’, ex-PLA colonel tells Europe

A retired senior Chinese colonel has sought to ease European concerns over China’s expanding overseas military presence, telling a Chatham House workshop in London that Beijing has no interest in acting as a “world’s policeman”.

Nor would China demand that Europe take sides in the fierce competition between Beijing and Washington, said Zhou Bo, now a senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy (CISS).

Zhou told experts from the independent international affairs think tank that the PLA’s goal is to build a strong army that would focus on overseas humanitarian operations.

“Even under the goal of building a strong military, China’s overseas operations would be humanitarian-focused, primarily in the form of non-war military operations, and not aimed at becoming a US-style world policeman,” he said.

Zhou’s remarks were in response to questions from experts at the workshop in late November relating to China’s Global Security Initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping in April at the Boao Forum for Asia – a China-led equivalent to the Davos Forum.

The initiative’s aim of “achieving sustainable peace and development in the world”, with an ultimate goal of protecting China’s overseas interests, has raised concerns among European countries and the US that the People’s Liberation Army might expand its footprint.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Zhou said the West was still focused on China’s security role in the global order, while European countries might feel confused about how to deal with the fierce competition between China – their largest trading partner – and the US.

According to Zhou, China is keen to see Europe avoid being trapped into taking sides between Beijing and Washington, and still wants to cooperate with European countries in hi-tech and other areas.

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On the impact of strained China-US relations on the Chinese business environment and foreign investment confidence, Zhou said the latest data showed that “overseas investors are still enthusiastic to invest in China”.

“Foreign investors still have potential opportunities in investing in new energy and other fields,” he said.

Zhou was in Britain at the invitation of King’s College London. It was the first overseas CISS tour since China introduced its strict anti-Covid measures three years ago and part of a gradual return to exchanges between Chinese think tanks and their counterparts in the US and Europe.

“China almost stopped normal exchanges and communications with the outside world in the past few years due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Zhou said.

The resumption of exchanges comes at a time of deteriorating Chinese relations with the West over trade, human rights and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Beijing has also been concerned that Europe is siding with the US and becoming more vocal against China.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said it had always been part of Beijing’s foreign policy to separate the capitals of the western European subcontinent from Washington.

But the available room for these efforts – and the efforts themselves – had been much reduced in recent years, he said.

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According to Shi, while long-lasting mutual concessions on major issues will be difficult, the global economic downturn may increase tensions among Western powers and give China flexibility to improve relations.

Zhou Chenming, a researcher from the Beijing-based Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank, said China had never been interested in being the world’s policeman.

“Beijing is more interested in global trade, but now the world is not safe,” Zhou said. “A good business environment and global order needs all countries to work together.”