The rise of China represents that of middle powers in the world which will definitely promote political democratization, just as the emergence of the middle class lays the foundation for democratic political development.

There are varied interpretations of the Chinese century in academic circles. One group represented by Yan Xuetong, a professor of international relations at Tsinghua University, looks to how the 19th and 20th centuries were described as the centuries of Britain and the US in turn due to their overwhelming dominance in a unipolar world.

Under this criterion, a Chinese century needs two necessary conditions; the formation of a unipolar world and China's absolute dominance, both of which are unlikely.

Another view holds that the Chinese century in fact marks a shift of international order from hegemony or dominant politics of great powers to diversified and democratic politics since China is unlikely to be as powerful as the US or to gain absolute dominance.

In globalized times when the world has become flatter, marketization and democratization become the mainstream of the world. Middle powers will emerge and constitute the basis of world politics. The international politics will turn democratic rather than hegemonic in compliance with the trend of history. China's advocacy of win-win cooperation, common development, and diversified and democratic politics conforms to the times and hence gains growing recognition and support worldwide.

The recent decision of many European countries to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) marks a transition in the international order. Their choices are made based on the business opportunities presented by the AIIB and more importantly indicate the international acknowledgement of a new multilateral framework of democratic cooperation.

The Chinese century is a halt to rather than a continuation of great power hegemony. It marks the shift of international order from great power politics to democratic politics, just as the formation of the Westphalian System marked a transition from the politics of empires to great power politics in modern times. It is good timing now to talk about the Chinese century.

China's "One Belt and One Road" initiative and on this basis the win-win cooperation as well as common development will eventually create a new pattern for international relations and advance the democratic process of international politics. As the economy is now inseparable from diplomacy, economy and trade make up the core of China's diplomatic strategy. In compliance with the trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation in the 21st century, it provides a highly inclusive platform for development and links the Chinese dream with the global one.

The "One Belt and One Road" initiative will focus on policy communication, path connectivity, smooth trade, currency circulation and understanding between peoples. It will help build a regional community of interest and common destiny and promote peace and development of countries involved and regional harmony and stability.

In the 21st century, economic benefits and national ambition are the driving forces of global economic and political development and define the relations between nations. While national interests and security remain the primary standards that decide acts of state, market logic makes the world smaller and flatter with profound changes from nation orientation to market dominance.

How to deal with the trend? The answer is clear, as Zbigniew Brzezinski said, "At the onset of the global era, a dominant power has therefore no choice but to pursue a foreign policy that is truly globalist in spirit, content and scope."

The author is a Chinese scholar in Canada. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn