Observing the power swing taking place on the world stage keenly today makes one consider a concoction of laws of physics on momentum and energy to brew yet another one defining this swing. It can go like this: power can be created but cannot be destroyed, as it can change hands and flex, both subtly. This very much underlines the prevailing scenario, as the USA unleashes a war, rattles the global economy, strains old alliances, and treats settled norms as inconveniences. On its heels, the option with the least odds emerges, enabling the rival-in-chief to seize power and the moment. That’s what China has been at work on all the while, without any rhetoric, without any denunciation of Washington in thunderous terms. And in doing so, China never announced itself as an alternative. The focus, the silence tells all.

China’s indifference to the USA’s wars of the past few decades has now changed into a different feeling of worry and concern. It, in fact, frets over the prevailing unpredictability, and Chinese analysts seem to be bewildered by American policy. This surprise has reasons. China needs oil and gas that moves through the Gulf. Its growth depends on open sea lanes, working markets, and economic stability. Chinese leadership reckons that America is dragging the world back to the law of the jungle. That is not a moral complaint but a strategic worry, as China views replacing the USA as the Gulf’s military guarantor as a costly endeavour and therefore prefers a subtler path.

China’s indifference to the USA’s wars of the past few decades has........

© Daily Times