According to the Wall Street Journal, Beijing’s strength also stems from its technological strength in groundbreaking fields, from artificial intelligence to high-speed trains and green energy, along with a rapid build-up of military power.
During the meeting in South Korea, Trump surprised the Chinese leadership when he spoke of a “G-2 condominium” (cooperation between two superpowers) in world affairs, a concept that Xi Jinping raised in 2013 and rejected by then-President Barack Obama. Trump’s support for this idea marks a recognition of China’s new status.
In the new environment, where Trump seems more interested in selling American soybeans than defending Taiwan, Beijing’s takeover of the island becomes a more realistic goal, perhaps even without a fight, Chinese officials believe. The destruction in the Russia-Ukraine war even causes some Taiwanese to fear and turn their gaze towards Beijing.
China’s new self-confidence comes against a backdrop of disorder in the democratic world. Trump’s relationship with Russia is frustrating European allies, and his new opening to Beijing is raising renewed concern in Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and South Korea.
As an international relations researcher in China pointed out: “In the past, technologies flowed to the Global South from the West, but now more and more are coming from China, especially in the area of clean energy. This facilitates China’s trade and investment relations, followed, of course, by political influence.”