China, the ‘rise of the rest' and the remaking of the international space order in a multiplex world

Abstract

Multiplexity is a promising but underdeveloped concept that describes the shift towards a post-hegemonic global order, which is more decentred, diversified and pluralistic, yet deeply interdependent and increasingly shaped by non-western agency. This article is the first to apply and to reassess the concept of multiplexity in the context of the international space order. Two key arguments follow. First, space reveals some important limitations of multiplexity, particularly given the enduring power of the United States, reinforced by commercialization and privatization. This cautions against treating the multiplex world as a single, unitary order. The article therefore introduces functionally differentiated multiplexity, which disaggregates world order into functional suborders, such as space, to show how the general features of multiplexity manifest unevenly across functional orders. Second, multiplexity retains strong analytical value when considering China, rising powers and the emergence of space regionalism in the developing world. It is not simply that an analysis of these themes has the merit of shifting our attention from a predominant focus on competition and national military considerations to cooperative patterns that are usually neglected, but it helps to underscore the agency of non-Western actors, which is often lacking in what remains a largely Eurocentric literature.