The Russia-Ukraine War and Great Power Competition between the U.S. and China : Two-World Views Confronting Three Worlds

One important aspect of the great power competition between the U.S. and China is　organizing principles of the international order. While the U.S. argues that the struggle between democracies and autocracies is a vital factor affecting the future of the world, China asserts that many developing countries will prevail in a small circle of developed countries. How does the Russia-Ukraine war impact the turf war between the U.S. and China? The Russian aggression reveals that countries all over the world are divided into three worlds: 1) G7 Plus: countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia and defend the rule-based international order ; 2) The China-Russia axis: countries opposing the rule-based order ; and 3) The Global South : countries that criticize both the Russian aggression and the hypocrisy of the Western values. Both the U.S. and China are intensively engaging with Global South countries and proposing their own perspective on the international order. This paper overviews the struggle for influence between the two great powers and compares their vision of the international order under the Russia-Ukraine War.