Chinas „Global Security Initiative“ und ihre Rezeption im Globalen Süden
GIGA Focus Global
China’s Global Security Initiative and Its Reception in the Global South
Number 2 | 2026 | ISSN: 1862-3581
With its Global Security Initiative (GSI), China has positioned itself as a global security actor. Launched in 2022, the initiative primarily emphasises internal control and stability. However, through international activities, China is externalising this understanding of security. How is the GSI perceived in key Global South regions, and what does it mean for the international security architecture?
While the West views the initiative critically, it is perceived largely positively among elites in many countries of the Global South. In Southeast Asia, East Africa, and the Middle East, states are searching for alternative security partners to the United States – an environment from which China benefits.
Through the GSI, China is increasingly externalising its own understanding of security, which is based on control and regime stability. Whereas Western actors primarily focus on military cooperation for external defence, China sees its comparative advantage in offering measures aimed at enhancing internal security.
A key component of the GSI is therefore China’s expansion of international police cooperation, including the export of security and surveillance technologies. In the long term, this entails the risk that China will gain greater political influence and reshape regional security structures and standards according to its own preferences.
Policy Implications
Germany must intensify efforts to identify alternative security partners in the Global South. This requires stronger German and European security offerings as well as credible signals of increased security policy engagement. At the same time, Germany should intensify bilateral dialogue with China on “hard” security issues and questions of order, and work toward a coherent EU position on China.
Greitens, Sheena Chestnut , Isaac B. Kardon und Cameron Waltz (2025), China’s Foreign Police Training: A Global Footprint, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 13. November, Zugriff: 26. Januar 2026.
Gurol-Haller, Julia, and Sebastian Biba (2026), China’s Global Security Initiative and Its Reception in the Global South, GIGA Focus Global, 2, Hamburg: German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), https://doi.org/10.57671/gfgl-26021
Imprint
The GIGA Focus is an Open Access publication and can be read on the Internet and downloaded free of charge at www.giga-hamburg.de/en/publications/giga-focus. According to the conditions of the Creative-Commons license Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0, this publication may be freely duplicated, circulated, and made accessible to the public. The particular conditions include the correct indication of the initial publication as GIGA Focus and no changes in or abbreviation of texts.
The German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) – Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien in Hamburg publishes the Focus series on Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and global issues. The GIGA Focus is edited and published by the GIGA. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the institute. Authors alone are responsible for the content of their articles. GIGA and the authors cannot be held liable for any errors and omissions, or for any consequences arising from the use of the information provided.
Europe plays a limited role in Gulf investments and the geopolitical considerations behind them. International mediation is urgently required in Gaza and Sudan. Lebanon and Syria are threatened by fragmentation. We present ten things set to inform events in the Middle East and North Africa in 2026.
Trump’s ultra-aggressive claim to South America as the United States’ exclusive zone of influence changes the region’s political coordinates. The GIGA analyses the ongoing stand-off in Venezuela, the role of China, Latin America’s upcoming elections, and other key events and trends to watch in 2026.
The AUKUS security pact between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom aims at providing greater security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. But can it really work? Explained is the exact nature of this pact and in highlighting the risks and challenges for all parties involved.
In Peking hat Merz für eine stärkere strategische Partnerschaft geworben – während das deutsche Handelsdefizit wächst. Von „Systemrivalität“ oder „DeRisking“ war bei seiner Reise öffentlich kaum eine Rede. Was bedeutet das für Deutschlands und Europas künftigen Umgang mit China? GIGA-Forscherin Dr. Julia Gurol-Haller ordnet ein.
China and Venezuela’s long-standing alliance faces its toughest test yet after Maduro’s arrest. From oil-for-loans deals to digital surveillance and military cooperation, Beijing now risks losing influence as Washington moves to assert dominance over Caracas.
Geopolitical rivalry with China, the collapse of Russia as a trading partner, and the radical paradigm shift in US foreign policy under Trump evince a core truth: Germany needs reliable partners in the Global South. How can the incoming government best respond? Four trends to note are outlined.
Africa enters 2026 at a crossroads: entrenched autocrats clash with Gen Z protests, debt crises threaten major economies, Western retreat meets Chinese and Russian expansion. Yet African states will seek to leverage critical minerals and strategic partnerships to assert agency amid global rivalries.
Europe plays a limited role in Gulf investments and the geopolitical considerations behind them. International mediation is urgently required in Gaza and Sudan. Lebanon and Syria are threatened by fragmentation. We present ten things set to inform events in the Middle East and North Africa in 2026.
Trump’s ultra-aggressive claim to South America as the United States’ exclusive zone of influence changes the region’s political coordinates. The GIGA analyses the ongoing stand-off in Venezuela, the role of China, Latin America’s upcoming elections, and other key events and trends to watch in 2026.
The AUKUS security pact between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom aims at providing greater security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. But can it really work? Explained is the exact nature of this pact and in highlighting the risks and challenges for all parties involved.
In Peking hat Merz für eine stärkere strategische Partnerschaft geworben – während das deutsche Handelsdefizit wächst. Von „Systemrivalität“ oder „DeRisking“ war bei seiner Reise öffentlich kaum eine Rede. Was bedeutet das für Deutschlands und Europas künftigen Umgang mit China? GIGA-Forscherin Dr. Julia Gurol-Haller ordnet ein.
China and Venezuela’s long-standing alliance faces its toughest test yet after Maduro’s arrest. From oil-for-loans deals to digital surveillance and military cooperation, Beijing now risks losing influence as Washington moves to assert dominance over Caracas.
Geopolitical rivalry with China, the collapse of Russia as a trading partner, and the radical paradigm shift in US foreign policy under Trump evince a core truth: Germany needs reliable partners in the Global South. How can the incoming government best respond? Four trends to note are outlined.
Africa enters 2026 at a crossroads: entrenched autocrats clash with Gen Z protests, debt crises threaten major economies, Western retreat meets Chinese and Russian expansion. Yet African states will seek to leverage critical minerals and strategic partnerships to assert agency amid global rivalries.
Europe plays a limited role in Gulf investments and the geopolitical considerations behind them. International mediation is urgently required in Gaza and Sudan. Lebanon and Syria are threatened by fragmentation. We present ten things set to inform events in the Middle East and North Africa in 2026.
Trump’s ultra-aggressive claim to South America as the United States’ exclusive zone of influence changes the region’s political coordinates. The GIGA analyses the ongoing stand-off in Venezuela, the role of China, Latin America’s upcoming elections, and other key events and trends to watch in 2026.
The AUKUS security pact between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom aims at providing greater security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. But can it really work? Explained is the exact nature of this pact and in highlighting the risks and challenges for all parties involved.
