By Huan Yuping, People’s Daily
At the recently held 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC), multipolarity became the focus of discussion.
Is today’s world truly moving toward a multipolar order? Will multipolarity lead to greater disorder and governance failures in the international system? How can the world ensure a healthy and stable transition to multipolarity?
The answer to these three critical questions concerns the stability of the international order and world peace and development.
I.
A multipolar world is both a historical inevitability and a reality. The Munich Security Report 2025, themed “Multipolarization,” states that today’s world is characterized by “multipolarization.” This assessment aligns with the prevailing consensus in the international community.
In international relations, “pole” refers to key influential political and economic forces in the global system. At its core, multipolarity is a global power and governance system featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit.
Since the Cold War ended in the early 1990s, the world has rapidly transitioned toward multipolarity. All countries and regions have increasingly sought a more independent and autonomous position in international affairs.
Today, multipolarity is a direct reflection of the changing global power dynamics. According to the International Monetary Fund, emerging markets and developing economies contributed 58.9 percent to the global economy in 2023. The Munich Security Report 2025 highlights that BRICS nations account for about 40 percent of global trade and 40 percent of crude oil production and exports.
This is not just about economic development – it is a basis for structural change in global order.
The MSC, traditionally dominated by Europe and the United States, saw 30 percent of its speakers this year representing the Global South, a testament to the world’s multipolar trajectory. Global South countries are asserting greater independence in global affairs. They have actively promoted greater democracy in international relations through platforms such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, injecting vital momentum into the world multipolarization process.
The report notes that multipolarization is not only evident in the diffusion of material power but also in the fact that the world has become more polarized ideologically. The once-dominant “end of history” narrative has been thoroughly debunked. Developing nations have grown more self-assured in exploring the path to development independently. Together, the Global South is advocating for equal exchanges, inclusiveness and mutual learning among civilizations.
While multipolarity is the direction of historical development, its progress will not be overnight. Skepticism and resistance persist, with some still clinging to outdated notions of unipolar or bipolar structures at the conference. Still and all, from a long-term historical perspective, multipolarization is bound to gain steady strength through tortuous development.
II.
In today’s international landscape fraught with instability, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, posing risks of a return to the law of the jungle. Some argue that multipolarization inherently leads to fragmentation, chaos, and conflict.
However, blaming global instability on multipolarity is a classic misdiagnosis of cause and effect. Multipolarity is not the source of today’s global challenges. On the contrary, it is the resistance to multipolarity – the reluctance of certain countries to abandon unilateralist tendencies – that has fueled disorder.
Policies such as “decoupling and breaking chains” and “small yard, high fence” disrupt global economic cooperation. Unilateral withdrawals from multilateral agreements and coercive policies undermine international cooperation. These actions stem from an attachment to unipolar hegemony and zero-sum thinking, and a reluctance to embrace the evolving multipolar order.
The claim that multipolarity leads to chaos reflects an anxiety about power redistribution. Some nations that once dominated the global order are struggling to adjust to the rapid development of multipolarization. They romanticize the past, painting a picture of an idealized global order under hegemonic stability, or insisting on restoring so-called “liberal order” dominance. These arguments ignore the systemic inequalities and historical trauma faced by the Global South.
The report provides valuable insights: for people in the countries of the Global South, “the past was not as good as we (in the West) tend to think, and the future is not as bad as we fear.” When surveyed on the future of a multipolar world, BRICS respondents expressed significantly greater optimism than those from the G7 countries.
A multipolar world better reflects the international community’s aspirations for justice, fairness, and win-win cooperation. It aligns more closely with the realistic need for peace and development, and is more conducive to the reform of the global governance system.
Increasing representation and voice of developing countries in global governance does not signify the “decline of the West.” Rather, it fosters a more balanced and cooperative international system and helps maintain the vitality of multilateralism in a multipolar world. Just as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggested, multipolarity promises to be “a way to fix multilateralism.”
III.
To prevent disorder and conflict during the transitional period in the international order, the key lies in working for an equal and orderly multipolar world. The international community should jointly advocate equal treatment, respect the international rule of law, practice true multilateralism, and pursue openness and mutual benefit. It should be a factor of certainty in the multipolar system, and strive to be steadfast constructive forces in a changing world.
To build an equal and orderly multipolar world, rules must be followed. The purposes and principles of the UN Charter provide fundamental guidance for handling international relations, and an important cornerstone of a multipolar world.
Josep Borrell, former High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, stated that “when the number of participants in a game increases, the natural response should be to strengthen the rules governing the game.”
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier cautioned at the MSC that a lack of rules must not become the model for a reorganization of the world.
These insights underscore a common view that multipolarization must not descend into a power struggle where “might makes right.” Great powers must lead by example, uphold credibility and law, and reject double standards. Only when power diffusion is accompanied by shared responsibility can a civilized order replace power struggles.
To build an equal and orderly multipolar world, views on cooperation must be updated with the times. One prominent concern about multipolarity is that it may lead to an inadequate supply of global public goods. To prevent this, nations must strike a balance between national and collective interests, and embrace a correct view of cooperation.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva noted it is impossible to “de-globalize.” In other words, as all countries share a common future, none can thrive in isolation. The only path forward is to pursue cooperation, mutual benefit, and a positive-sum relationship.
By practicing true multilateralism, promoting extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and advancing a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, all parties can strengthen their ability to tackle challenges and pursue development with solid steps.
The international community should seize this historic moment to shape an equal and orderly
