The Sino-American rivalry today structures the international system. The world’s second-largest economy, second-largest military budget, innovative technological power, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) presents a challenge to the American leadership because of its combative hostility towards the values and systems of governance of Western democracies. Since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, China has pursued a policy of asserting its power. It seeks to impose its terms and conditions on its international relations, by coercion if necessary. Long defensive and seeking to prevent the democratization of China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) today promotes internationally an authoritarian order model in the service of individual enrichment, by putting forward the argument of the effectiveness of its governance.
However, since Donald Trump’s tenure as American presidency (2017-2021), the United States has subjected its Chinese policy to a diagnosis of strategic competition. This vision is accompanied by restrictions on economic exchanges (customs tariffs, strict regulation of technology transfers), a more accentuated adaptation of the format of the American army to a future conflict with China, and diplomatic activism against China’s growing influence in the world.
The hardening of the Sino-American rivalry is a constraint on the foreign policy of many states. It affects the operations of many companies …
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