Free World, Please Contain China’s Authoritarianism

In 2024, the free world faces an urgent challenge: coordinating an effective response to contain China’s authoritarianism. As the Chinese Communist Party seeks to export its model and reshape global norms, democratic nations must unite through expanded alliances, robust human rights defense, strategic economic action, and assertive values-based diplomacy.

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Forging Strong Democratic Alliances

Deepening cooperation among Indo-Pacific, European, and North American democracies is critical for countering Beijing’s assertiveness. Strengthening existing alliances (like NATO and the US-Japan-South Korea trilateral partnership), building new regional coalitions, and promoting “allyshoring”—prioritizing economic and security collaboration among democracies—creates a powerful bulwark against authoritarian advances. Joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, export controls, and coordinated security postures increase deterrence and resilience to Chinese pressure, especially in strategic areas like the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

Defending Human Rights and Democratic Institutions

The free world must consistently defend human rights and democracy, exposing and challenging China’s abuses, such as repression in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and against civil society. Sanctions, clear public messaging, and support for independent media and NGOs in vulnerable democracies weaken China’s ability to set global norms around state-centric “development rights,” which subordinate individual liberties to authoritarian development goals. Backing democratic actors and institutions prevents strategic dependence on China and limits the spread of authoritarian governance models in regions like Africa and Latin America.

Coordinated Economic Responses

Unifying trade and investment policies among democracies is vital to counter China’s use of economic dependencies and its Belt and Road Initiative. The creation of a trade-defense coalition among like-minded states can reduce reliance on Chinese technology, investments, and critical infrastructure while promoting transparent financing and supply chains. Restrictions on Chinese foreign influence—like educational partnerships or strategic investments—help insulate democratic politics from malign interference and build resilience against economic coercion.

Promoting Democratic Values Internationally

Democracies should reaffirm global norms of sovereignty, self-determination, and accountable governance within international organizations, resisting Chinese efforts to rewrite the rules for authoritarian convenience. Coordinated diplomatic action—whether supporting Taiwan's international participation or pushing back against manipulation in the UN—ensures that freedom, transparency, and human dignity remain central to the global order.

The free world’s success in containing China’s authoritarianism depends on unity—rooted in shared values, strategic resilience, and a clear-eyed understanding that the price of division is the erosion of liberty on a global scale.