A study of China’s responses to COVID-19, climate change, and refugee migration through the lens of populism.

Drawing parallels with domestic populism movements that are anti-elitist and grievance-fuelled, China and the Rules-Based International Order theorizes that contemporary Chinese conduct under the leadership of Xi Jinping is a form of “globalized populism” against the Western-dominated international order.

Pitman B. Potter uses the framework of populism to explore China’s responses to three global crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and involuntary migration. As other countries debated the cause of COVID-19, China expressed an antagonistic populism in its relations with the international public health policy system. By contrast, the domestic challenges of climate change have prompted greater Chinese involvement in international climate policy, an example of participatory populism. Finally, China has responded hesitantly to migration, articulated in passive populism against international migration policy.

This reasoned analysis of China’s globalized populism supports a better understanding of a country with increasing prominence in the world and suggests practical policies to improve relations between China and the international system.