AT the dawn of the 21st century, the US was the sole superpower. Its main rival, the Soviet Union, had been dissolved a decade earlier. The era of globalisation had begun. The world looked like a global village. China was rising, but not yet in a position to challenge US supremacy. However, this unipolar world did not last long as America became embroiled in distant, unending wars. With its invasion of Iraq, the unilateral, illegal and pre-emptive use of force against adversaries became a norm. Hatred for minority communities took a violent form. The UN began to lose its relevance. Protectionist walls started impeding free international trade. The world descended into disorder.

In this uncertain clime, China opted to avoid wars, focusing instead on economic growth. The US decided to counter-balance a rising China and, in 2011, announced a pivot of its foreign policy towards Asia. Beijing reacted by flexing its economic outreach and launching the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 to link China to the outside world through connectivity projects and supply chains. The US embarked on its Indo-Pacific Strategy, co-opting Japan, Australia and India. China perceived it as an attempt to threaten the sea routes it used for exports. So it began to........

© Dawn