China’s rise on the global scene and its increasing interaction with global south countries diffuse authoritarian narratives and discursively promote a type of benevolent autocracy. I call this process Authoritarian Reinforcement (AR). AR occurs not necessarily as a pushing process from China, but as a pulling process from the authoritarian regimes in global south countries. I define AR as a discursive legitimation of authoritarian practices under the pretext of maintaining political order, preserving sovereignty, achieving progress, decoloniality and fairness in the international system. Moreover, AR has an indirect effect of providing a form of authoritarian legitimation that is based not only on ‘authoritarianism effectiveness’ in the Global South regions but also on issues of sovereignty, independence and China’s alleged promotion of balanced and equal international relations instead.