“China’s reputation is not better, it will just be proportionally above the United States”specifies the expert on geopolitics in Asia. Around it, China continues to worry all its neighbors. “For them, Beijing is far from being a power of stability, but on the contrary uses coercion to impose its will.”
For the West, and in particular Europe, the disappearance of China in the Ukrainian and Iranian conflicts can give it the image “of a reliable economic partner in times of peace, but one who cannot be counted on in times of crisis. I don’t think there is an outbreak of trust and diplomatic attractiveness for China.”
Paradoxically, the war in Iran or the military operation in Venezuela demonstrate as much the instability of American policy as its military and operational power. “These are large-scale, joint operations, on the other side of the world, very complex. After 25 years of growing military and economic power, China is still very far from being able to do the same thing. There is even a certain jealousy”analyzes Marc Julienne.
China’s discreet role in the war in Iran would be less an element of a strategy of long-term diplomatic influence, than proof that it “still remains today a marginal actor in international relations”.
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>> An article to be found on the RTBF website.
