Authors

Ning Zhang¹;  ¹ Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 中国

Discussion

In recent years, concepts such as the Global South, BRICS, C+1, Shanghai Cooperation Organization+, and the role of medium-sized powers in international relations have become popular. The main reason behind this is that the pattern of international power has changed, which has led to changes in the demand for international order. The pattern and order dominated by the West in the past have to some extent not met the demand for development and stability of countries in the information age. The COVID-19 epidemic and the Russia Ukraine war have widened the development gap and uncertainty. Therefore, the role of "middle power" sandwiched between major powers is highlighted. The current international landscape has formed three major groups: the G7 represents the Western powers that have established themselves as major powers. The second is that the BRICS group is mainly composed of emerging powers. Thirdly, as an independent 'middle ground', middle powers. Th middle powers have broken the binary line between developed and developing countries in international multilateral mechanisms, and as a cohesive and integrated whole, it has begun to play the role of a third force. Based on the reality of the increasing influence of the group of middle power countries, their strategic value has attracted the attention of major powers and become the target of various parties' efforts and alliances, and sometimes can get a huge return for a very small investment.