But the Chinese leadership has no interest in filling America’s shoes. Attempting to do so could cost China dearly just when it is undertaking a broader economic reorientation at home. The world may be tired of US interventionism – and, now, of Trumpian aggression – but that does not mean it is ready to welcome an abstemious superpower. China has studiously avoided becoming involved in major crises beyond its immediate neighborhood.
søndag 17. august 2025
Yu Jie: What China Wants
With many commentators eulogizing the liberal international order that had hitherto underpinned US hegemony, some are wondering if President Donald Trump has given his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a gift. While Trump prizes unpredictability, Xi aims to position China as a force for global stability. Thus, there is a widespread assumption that China will rush to fill the vacuum left by an increasingly nationalist and isolationist United States.
But the Chinese leadership has no interest in filling America’s shoes. Attempting to do so could cost China dearly just when it is undertaking a broader economic reorientation at home. The world may be tired of US interventionism – and, now, of Trumpian aggression – but that does not mean it is ready to welcome an abstemious superpower. China has studiously avoided becoming involved in major crises beyond its immediate neighborhood.
But the Chinese leadership has no interest in filling America’s shoes. Attempting to do so could cost China dearly just when it is undertaking a broader economic reorientation at home. The world may be tired of US interventionism – and, now, of Trumpian aggression – but that does not mean it is ready to welcome an abstemious superpower. China has studiously avoided becoming involved in major crises beyond its immediate neighborhood.
