The 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) in 2025 took place amid a world that is becoming more fragmented, with the decline of American hegemony becoming increasingly evident. Traditionally viewed as the leading platform for discussions on international security, the MSC has been a venue for the United States to reassure its dedication to transatlantic security and global governance. However, this year a significant shift from that norm has seen. The rise of a new American administration under President Donald Trump created unease sense among European leaders, who were faced with a United States that appeared reluctant to uphold its historical role as the clear leader of the West. Meanwhile, China positioned itself as a stabilizing force in a world that is growing more unstable with its carefully constructed narrative of multipolarity. As a result, the conference became a battleground for competing ideologies, reflecting the decline of American unipolarity alongside China’s strategic efforts to influence the shape of the new global order.
US Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the conference highlighted the widening gap between Washington and its European partners. Instead of providing assurances about America’s ongoing commitment to European security, Vance’s address was filled with sharp criticisms aimed at Europe, especially concerning defense spending and economic strategies. His comments, which hinted at potential threats to NATO and America’s reluctance to continue funding European security indefinitely, resonated strongly with the audience. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius quickly labeled the speech as “unacceptable,” while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took it a step further, cautioning that the “long-standing relationship between Europe and America is now coming to an end.” The takeaway from Washington was unmistakable: America’s focus has changed, and Europe can no longer take for granted the steadfast US security support.
The impact of this shift was enormous. For decades, the transatlantic alliance provided the basis for a Western security architecture predicated on American military and economic priorities. However, the return to Trump’s presidency has witnessed a resurgence of protectionism and isolationism, now characterized by economic nationalism and transactional diplomacy. The imposition of sweeping tariffs on steel and aluminum imports—without exemptions for European allies—was the loudest statement of this new attitude. Just as the MSC was being held, these moves reinforced a sense of European vulnerability in the face of an unpredictable Washington. European leaders, already laboring under the economic and security consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war, now face the daunting prospect of seeing America as an economic competitor rather than a strategic partner.
In this backdrop of transatlantic uncertainty, China has taken the opportunity to express its vision for a new world order. On the first day of the summit, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed Beijing’s commitment to a multipolar world order characterized by “equality and order”. This rhetoric was carefully calibrated to appeal to European anxieties about American unpredictability, positioning China as a rational and reliable actor in contrast to an increasingly insular United States. Wang emphasized the need for adherence to international law, multilateral cooperation, and mutual economic benefit, principles that resonated strongly with European leaders desperate for stability amid geopolitical turbulence. He also stressed the importance of advocating equal treatment, reinforcing the idea that global governance should not be dictated by a single dominant power.
The theme of multipolarization, which is based on MSC’s official Munich Security Report 2025, was in many ways an implicit acknowledgment that the era of unrivaled American hegemony is over. The report recognized that global power was now dispersed among multiple actors, a reality that the United States could no longer unilaterally dictate. As Warwick Powell of Queensland University of Technology noted, this was a long-overdue admission by the West, which had for decades sought to maintain the illusion of American predominance. However, the report stopped short of explicitly addressing the underlying question: if the unipolar world order was indeed over, who would lead the new one?
China’s answer to this question was implicit in its expanding influence across the MSC’s agenda. Unlike previous years, when Chinese representatives were relegated to the sidelines, this year saw Wang Yi sharing the keynote stage with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US Vice President JD Vance. Additionally, discussions on China permeated nearly every major session, even those where Chinese officials were not present. Whether in panels on energy security, artificial intelligence, or climate change, the role of China loomed large—an unmistakable indication of its growing centrality in global affairs.
This shift did not occur in a vacuum. Over the past decade, Beijing has methodically cultivated its geopolitical influence through a combination of economic statecraft, technological prowess, and diplomatic engagement. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), once dismissed by Western analysts as an ambitious infrastructure project with limited strategic value, has evolved into a potent instrument of Chinese geopolitical leverage. Meanwhile, Beijing’s leadership in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and green energy, has reinforced its status as a global power in domains that will define the future of international relations. At the MSC, discussions on China’s role in global governance reflected a recognition—whether reluctant or not—that Beijing is now an indispensable player in shaping the 21st-century order.
Yet, despite China’s emphasis on multipolarity, there was an undercurrent of skepticism regarding its true intentions. While Wang Yi’s speech championed an “equal and orderly” world, many Western policymakers viewed Beijing’s vision of multipolarity as a veiled attempt to replace American dominance with a China-centric system. The question of whether China’s rise would lead to genuine multilateralism or merely a reconfigured form of hegemony remained unresolved. European officials, in particular, found themselves caught in a strategic dilemma: while they increasingly questioned Washington’s reliability, they were also wary of fully embracing Beijing’s alternative. This ambivalence was evident in side events at the MSC, where discussions on China’s role in the Arctic, Indo-Pacific maritime security, and its evolving national security strategy underscored both its expanding influence and the lingering apprehensions surrounding it.
As the conference concluded, it was evident that the global order was undergoing a profound transformation. The Munich Security Report’s framing of multi-polarization was not merely a theoretical exercise but a reflection of a tangible shift in power dynamics. The United States, long accustomed to dictating the terms of international security, now faced an era where its dominance was contested on multiple fronts. Europe, once a steadfast ally of Washington, found itself searching for alternatives amid growing disillusionment with American leadership. And China, through its strategic messaging and increasing global engagement, sought to position itself as the architect of a new, ostensibly cooperative world order.
The MSC 2025, therefore, was not just a forum for discussion but a microcosm of the broader geopolitical realignment taking shape. The future of global governance remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the age of American uni-polarity is drawing to a close. Whether this transition leads to a genuinely multipolar world or a new era of great-power rivalry remains to be seen. But as China asserts its vision and the United States turns inward, the rest of the world is left navigating an increasingly complex and unpredictable landscape, searching for a balance between stability and sovereignty in an era of shifting power.
