The traditional international order, institutionalized through the principles of Westphalian sovereignty, a rationalized set of rules, and the normative framework of the United Nations, is currently undergoing a profound structural crisis. The liberal hegemonic system that emerged in the aftermath of the Second World War and subsequently globalized under the influence of the “end of history” thesis following the conclusion of the Cold War is now confronted with a deep crisis of legitimacy. Within this context, the effectiveness of international institutions has steadily eroded, while the binding force of normative rules has largely lost its practical functionality.
As a salient manifestation of systemic transformation and the emergence of a power vacuum, the summit held in Beijing between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping from 13–15 May 2026 carries significance far beyond that of a conventional diplomatic engagement. The meeting constitutes a concrete indication that the rule-based architecture of global governance is increasingly being supplanted by a pragmatic and transactional model characterized by leader-centric decision-making processes, limited transparency, and the pursuit of mutual interest maximization. In this respect, the summit demonstrates that the contemporary international order is being reconfigured less through institutional legitimacy than through rational bargaining processes among major powers.[1][2]
The increasingly personalized and institutionally detached style of diplomacy practiced by contemporary leaders is generating structural uncertainty across a wide range of macro-level variables, from global financial markets to border security. Contrary to official rhetoric emphasizing global stability and peace, the persistence of trade wars, unilateral sanctions, and technological embargoes conducted behind closed doors reveals both the fragility of the existing international order and the depth of contemporary hegemonic rivalries.
When the normative discourse of global politics is set aside and examined through a realist lens, the potential for conflict among major powers remains strikingly evident. The phenomenon conceptualized in the literature as the “Thucydides Trap”—the systemic rivalry between a rising power and an established hegemon—lies at the core of contemporary geopolitical reality. From this perspective, the 2026 Beijing Summit should not be interpreted as an effort to establish a durable regional or global peace. Rather, it represents an attempt by the principal actors of an emerging bipolar order to contain the costs of conflict and to manage strategic competition within a rational framework of crisis management.[3]
The Beijing Summit and the Emerging Balance of Power
China’s conventional and nuclear military modernization, financial expansion, and advances in critical technologies such as semiconductors have transformed it from an asymmetric challenger into a relatively balanced peer competitor to the United States. The United States’ increasingly unilateral and national interest-driven foreign policy orientation can be understood as a direct consequence of its desire to preserve its hegemonic status within an anarchic international system. Through the lens of Power Transition Theory, the structural tension between the status quo power seeking to preserve the existing order and the revisionist actor seeking to alter it points toward a broader systemic rupture.
Viewed from this perspective, the Beijing Summit should be understood not as a final settlement but rather as a strategic pause. The enduring uncertainty that states face regarding one another’s intentions, together with the security dilemma that characterizes international politics, is vividly reflected in Sino-American relations. Consequently, the conciliatory rhetoric displayed in diplomatic forums cannot obscure the deep-seated structural mistrust and ontological threat perceptions that continue to shape interactions between Beijing and Washington.
Source: https://www.tercuman.com/analiz/2026-pekin-zirvesi-westphalianin-sonu-ve-teknofeodal-donusum-2960
