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It is not only the war in Ukraine, that has put developments in international relations to a new test. The multilateral system, after decades of globalisation and integration, is shaken in its normative foundations and operational capacity. The competition between the “western shaped” system, supported by international organisations, liberal markets, rule of law and democracy, and emerging ways and comprehension of multilateralism create tension in global world order. Not only since the United States’ declining interest in multilateral institutions, manifested in the withdrawal from international treaties, China was able to establish parallel governance structures. The latter’s efforts to be perceived as an international player are reflected in its European and global engagement, partly as founder of new multilateral formats, but also as in establishing alliances in existing institutions: regional economic initiatives in Asia, Africa and Latin America, Eurasian and Indo-Pacific security alliances and its leverage on UN voting behavior. The changing nature of the multilateral system no longer allows a postponement of the assessment from the perspective of liberal democracies, hence the European Union and its member states must not lose sight of systemic competition. This workshop, which will bring together experts from the main European think tanks on the subject, will assess the growing ambitions of new multilateral institutions, highlight existing system rivalries and draw conclusions on future economic goals, foreign and security policy, and the role of multilateral organisations. This workshop marks the beginning of a long-term engagement of the Multilateral Dialogue, Konrad Adenauer Foundation Vienna with this topic.