(W. E. Talk) Experts' review on 2025: China seen as a stabilizing force amid global turbulence

By Feng Xiaoyan

(ECNS) -- As geopolitical rivalry and economic uncertainty intensified in 2025, international experts say China has emerged as a key source of stability through policy continuity and strategic restraint.

Nationalism, unilateralism and intensified competition among major powers continued to reshape the international landscape this year, pushing uncertainty higher and complicating global governance, experts said.

The year 2025 also marks two significant historical milestones— the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations—prompting the world to deeper reflection on peace, order and multilateral cooperation.

In a year-end review program hosted by China News Network’s “W.E. Talk”, Cui Hongjian, professor of the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation and a renowned expert on Chinese affairs, assessed global developments and China’s role.

Both experts agreed that amid rising turbulence and uncertainty, China has provided the world with a crucial source of stability through policy continuity and strategic steadiness.

Europe shifts its strategic focus from the U.S. to China

Reviewing China–EU relations in 2025, Cui noted that the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the EU once again underscored the irreplaceable role of high-level engagement in steering bilateral relations. China and the EU maintained frequent exchanges across different sectors and at multiple levels, while enhanced strategic communication and mutual trust emerged as key highlights of the year.

As 2025 marks the final year of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan and 2026 ushers in the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Cui emphasized that a new round of national planning has sent positive signals for external cooperation. These signals, he said, will further encourage European countries to deepen economic and trade cooperation with China. Against the backdrop of intensifying major-power competition, China and the EU should strive to serve as a model of stability and cooperation in major-power relations.

Kuhn, who has long followed China’s development, concurred. He observed that Europe — both collectively and at the level of individual countries — is paying closer attention to China than ever before, valuing the continuity and predictability of its policies. By contrast, mounting domestic turbulence and policy uncertainty in the United States have prompted Europe to gradually “distance itself” from Washington.

Kuhn further analyzed that European leaders are increasingly thinking about how to engage China pragmatically, both as a unified bloc and as sovereign states. He remains optimistic about the prospects for China–EU cooperation. “Europe and China can work together on both the economic and strategic levels and join forces in the global arena,” he said.

Curbing the Resurgence of Militarism

Cui said 2025 is a very special year, not only because of ongoing transformation in the global order, but also it marks the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. He warned that a growing number of countries are showing signs of drifting toward right-wing conservatism.

China, Cui said, has demonstrated a clear and firm stance. On the one hand, it resolutely opposes any resurgence of militarist thinking; on the other, from the perspective of safeguarding regional order and stability, it seeks to rally broader support to prevent risky policies pursued by a small number of countries from destabilizing regional situations. In a world marked by overlapping upheavals, China’s major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics continues to provide stability and certainty.

China’s commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation has helped inject certainty into an uncertain global environment.

In Kuhn’s view, as nationalist sentiments and geopolitical rivalry grow, China’s continued advocacy of a multipolar world has positioned it as a key stabilizing force.

China serves as a source of certainty amid change

Despite the dramatic shifts of 2025, Cui remains confident about future development. He argued that as long as faith in human progress is maintained—and confidence remains in China and other countries playing constructive roles in preserving stability and advancing transformation—the current phase can be seen as a necessary stage in global evolution.

Cui said the limitations of conservatism, unilateralism and bullying practices will become increasingly evident, adding that allowing such trends to prevail could once again plunge the world into a “law of the jungle.”

“This, in turn, will help the international community jointly uphold multilateralism and inclusive globalization, advance the building of an equal and orderly multipolar world, and generate greater expectations, confidence and momentum,” he said.

From the perspective of national development practices, Kuhn further pointed out that countries focused on long-term growth seek a stable environment on which they can plan. Today, cooperation with China often provides a clearer and more reliable foundation for such planning. This is because China’s economy continues to grow in a healthy manner and its strategic direction remains highly stable, offering the international community a trustworthy framework and solid basis for cooperation.

In 2025, the world, amid turbulence and restructuring, is searching for direction. With its stability and development, China continues to contribute predictable strength to an era of uncertainty, serving as a pillar in safeguarding peace, promoting cooperation and advancing multipolar development.