The Rise of China and the end of US unipolar era
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China has emerged as a formidable economic and military competitor to the US on the world stage.
Within three decades, China became the world's "leading factory", enjoying unprecedented trade surpluses and double-digit growth and creating massive wealth, all the while investing heavily in a military and especially naval power to reckon with.
Moving forward, no one power will be able to lead the complicated and challenging international system that has emerged from the crises of the post-Cold war era. Of course, size matters, and China has been cruising steadily like an aircraft carrier. But it's also been too aggressive in throwing its weight around to attract or perhaps intimidate smaller neighbours. Attempts by the Obama administration to contain China through an "Asia Pivot" have failed miserably. And today, the Chinese are exploiting Trump's shortsighted approach to Asia in order to further expand their influence on the continent. (Reportedly, China was happy to see Trump elected as it expected him to screw up big time). |
By contrast, the strong and stable Presidency of Xi JinPing has further enhanced China's global role. Earlier this year, he gave a speech at the Davos Economic Forum of the world political and economic leaders, the first of its kind for Chinese leaders, in order to underline Beijing's interest in global leadership as America turns inwards.
Xi even defended free trade from "blind" nationalism in an indirect jab at Trump's "America first" policies.
China may continue to lag behind when it comes to soft power and innovation, and human rights, but its capacity for engineering and exporting new models of development have been attracting other countries - large and small - to follow suit.
As the G20 economies convene for their 9th annual meeting, there is little doubt about the enhanced role of China alongside the US, or the so-called G2 in influencing the group's decisions, big and small.
