Joining the fight against Isis would be a huge test for China

For all its growth over the past three decades, China is still feeling its way towards assuming a political role commensurate with its position as the world’s second largest economy. It has rested its foreign policy on a mixture of bilateral relationships, mainly based on trade and investment, and a few “core” principles, most notably that sovereign states should not interfere in the internal affairs of one another. As the country’s global role has expanded, however, this recipe needs to be enlarged, and the current terrorist crisis stretching through Europe, Africa and the Middle East presents Beijing with a wake-up call. Read more