【Opinion】 A “New World Order” and the Future of Taiwan
Opinion by Paul Rivett, STMG (Canada) Chair
President Xi Jinping’s words in welcoming Prime Minister Modi this past week at the Tianjin Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization were not simply rhetoric. “The world today is swept by once-in-a-century transformations,” Xi said. “The international situation is both fluid and chaotic.” Coming from the leader of the world’s second-largest economy, those remarks are a deliberate signal: Beijing, alongside Moscow and increasingly New Delhi, seeks to reimaginea global order where Western power is diluted, and Asia—led by China—increasingly sets the rules.
For the people of Chinese, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese descent living in Canada, this vision is not an abstract geopolitical exercise. It cuts to the very heart of questions about identity, belonging, and most importantly the precarious independence of Taiwan.
The “New World Order” Xi Envisions
China, Russia, and to some extent India are framing their cooperation as an alternative to what they call “U.S.-led hegemony”, a world of “multipolarity” where no single power dominates, particularly in Asia. For Beijing, however, this vision has always carried a sharper edge: reshaping the international environment so that Taiwan’s autonomy cannot survive in the long run.
By labeling the world as “chaotic,” Xi implies that U.S. alliances in Asia—long assumed to be reliable—are weaker and more distracted than before. Russia, sanctioned and initially isolated after Ukraine, is eager to continue amplifying this narrative. India, though more cautious, benefits by keeping options open between Washington and Beijing. Together, their message is clear: a shifting balance of power is underway, and Western resolve can be tested.
For Taiwan, this “new world order” is existential. Beijing views it as the unfinished business of national unification. A multipolar system, in which the U.S. is less willing or able to project strength, emboldens China to intensify political and economic pressure—and eventually military action.
What it Means for the Taiwanese Diaspora in Canada
For Chinese, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese communities in Canada, Xi’s words land differently depending on lived experience.
For Hong Kongers, who watched the dismantling of promised autonomy, the phrase “fluid and chaotic” rings hollow—order was imposed, and freedom denied.
For Taiwanese, the threat is immediate: the more Beijing pushes for a global order that normalizes its claims, the narrower the space for
international recognition of Taiwan.
For Chinese immigrants in Canada, many of whom sought opportunity abroad, the “new order” forces a question: is Beijing offering stability and pride, or exporting coercion?
What unites these communities is a shared recognition that Taiwan is more than a geopolitical flashpoint—it is a test of whether small democracies can survive when great powers redraw the map.
The Stakes for the U.S. and Canada
The U.S. still holds the military and financial leverage to deter aggression. But deterrence only works if allies believe Washington will use it. Canada, though less central militarily, plays an outsized role symbolically. Its support for Taiwan in multilateral forums—trade, culture, technology—signals that the liberal democratic camp still values principle over expediency.
If Xi, Putin, and Modi succeed in creating a “post-Western” order, the first casualty will be Taiwan.
A Call to Vigilance
Xi is right about one thing: the world is in the midst of once-in-a-century transformations. But history shows that when democracies doubt themselves, authoritarian powers move quickly to fill the vacuum. For the diaspora here in Canada, the responsibility is twofold: to remain vigilant in political debates here, and to remind our federal politicians that Taiwan’s fate is not peripheral—it is central to the kind of world order we all will live in.
(Photo: AP) T05