Author: Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Founding Chair GSRRA, Sinologist, Diplomat, Editor, Analyst, Advisor, Consultant, Researcher at Global South Economic and Trade Cooperation Research Center, and Non-Resident Fellow of CCG. (E-mail: awanzamir@yahoo.com).

As the world stands at a critical crossroads in history, one path leads to war, militarism, and hegemony, while the other leads to peace, development, and shared prosperity. Nowhere is this divergence clearer than in the contrast between China’s peaceful rise and the war-driven trajectory of the United States and its Western allies.

Since the late 1970s, China has shown the world a different way forward. It has lifted over 800 million people out of poverty, become the world’s second-largest economy, and topped the global index in purchasing power. It has done this without waging war, without invading any country, and without plundering other nations’ resources. Instead, it has relied on the hard work of its people, the wisdom of its leadership, and the implementation of sound, homegrown policies.

In contrast, the Western world — particularly the United States — has tied its destiny to war, weapons, and coercion. The U.S. has a long and dark record of global interference, regime change, occupation, and the extraction of wealth from weaker states. It has used international institutions not as tools of cooperation, but as weapons of intimidation, punishing countries that refuse to bow to its dictates.

A Civilizational Choice: Peace Through Development

China’s rise is rooted in its commitment to development, not destruction. After initiating economic reforms under Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s, China made a historic choice: to turn away from conflict and embrace economic modernization. Unlike the West, which often cloaks its self-interest in the language of democracy and human rights while launching invasions and bombing campaigns, China has focused on internal growth, poverty eradication, innovation, and global trade partnerships.

China has not participated in any major war for over four decades. Instead, it has built thousands of kilometers of high-speed rail, developed world-class infrastructure, and become a global hub for green technology, digital innovation, and manufacturing. Its Belt and Road Initiative, connecting over 150 countries, is a symbol of peaceful economic cooperation rather than military alliance or resource exploitation.

The Chinese government has facilitated this transformation by enabling its people through education, public services, and a stable governance framework. Today, Chinese cities are clean, safe, and technologically advanced. The people of China enjoy modern health care, digital convenience, and one of the highest levels of life satisfaction in Asia. China is not perfect, but its achievements are undeniable — and, importantly, they have not come at the cost of war.

The Western Model: Hegemony Through Force

Contrast this with the grim path chosen by the United States. In 2024 alone, global military spending reached a staggering $3.7 trillion — with the U.S. accounting for the lion’s share. NATO, under U.S. pressure, has now pledged to increase military spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. That means NATO countries will collectively spend over $3.8 trillion annually on war-making — a trillion more than today. Meanwhile, the entire annual budget of the United Nations, tasked with maintaining peace and delivering humanitarian aid, is a paltry $3.72 billion.

With such figures, one might ask: what else could be done with $1 trillion? That money could eradicate global hunger, provide education to every child, eliminate child poverty, or pay off the external debt of developing countries. But instead, it's being spent to manufacture weapons, sustain wars, and police a global order that serves the interests of a few at the expense of the many.

The United States has normalized this reality. From Iraq to Libya, from Syria to Afghanistan, it has destroyed nations, displaced millions, and left behind shattered societies. When the International Criminal Court tried to investigate U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan, Washington responded by revoking the visas of ICC prosecutors and threatening their families. When a UN Special Rapporteur documented U.S. and corporate complicity in the Israeli genocide in Gaza, Washington sanctioned her. These are not the actions of a democratic leader, but of a global bully intoxicated by power.

The Return of Gunboat Diplomacy

What we are witnessing is not just militarism — it is neo-colonial arrogance. U.S. and European diplomats increasingly echo the language of 19th-century empire: shouting orders, dictating policy, and threatening sanctions or war when nations refuse to comply. The world has seen this pattern before — gunboat diplomacy has simply been replaced by “nuclear missile diplomacy.”

At the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, this new imperialism was on full display. The communiqué was strikingly brief, with little to say about peace or diplomacy. It focused almost entirely on money and military buildup. NATO's obsession is no longer even veiled under the pretense of promoting democracy — it is about ensuring Europe remains a militarized appendage of the U.S., financially and strategically dependent on Washington’s war machine.

To meet this 5% GDP target, countries like Germany — already struggling with social exclusion and economic stagnation — will have to gut public services, cut welfare, and plunge deeper into debt. In other words, war spending will come at the direct expense of their own people.

Iron or Peace: A Moral and Strategic Choice

This is not just an economic or military issue — it is a moral and civilizational question. As the Iraqi poet Badr Shakir al-Sayyab wrote in 1954, reflecting on imperial violence:

“Who are all these bullets for?

For miserable Korean children,

Hungry workers in Marseille,

The people of Baghdad and the rest…”

The West has chosen bullets over bread, iron over compassion. It is a model of global order rooted in fear, hierarchy, and violence.

On the other side, the BRICS+ countries — now including Indonesia, Egypt, and others — are promoting a different vision. At their 2025 summit in Rio de Janeiro, they called for peace, inclusive growth, and a reformed international order. Their vision is not built on military alliances, but on economic partnerships, South-South cooperation, and respect for sovereignty.

China is at the heart of this peaceful alternative. Unlike the U.S., China does not impose military bases across continents, nor does it threaten to bomb countries into submission. It believes in a multipolar world where all nations — big or small — have the right to development, dignity, and peace.

A New Narrative for the Future

Western media often distort China’s rise, painting it as a threat rather than an opportunity. But the facts speak for themselves. China is not war-crazy. It is not sending drones to bomb villages or ships to blockade seas. It is building roads, not missiles; schools, not bunkers. It is negotiating peace, not launching wars.

If the West wishes to retain moral credibility in the 21st century, it must learn from the Chinese model: prioritize development, respect national sovereignty, and invest in human well-being, not war.

The future must not belong to those who build empires through blood. It must belong to those who uplift their people through peace.

The choice before humanity is stark: continue down the path of militarism and catastrophe or embrace cooperation and mutual prosperity. China has chosen the latter — and the world would do well to follow.

Let the future be built not on the ruins of war, but on the foundations of peace. Let iron and bullets give way to books, bridges, and laughter.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)