January 23, 2017
If America Refuses to Lead
Just a few months ago, the notion of China as the savior of international order would have struck most as fanciful, even absurd. Yet President Xi Jinping’s debut at Davos last week amounted to an attempt to seize at least a portion of that mantle.
Decrying protectionism and defending globalization, Mr. Xi made the case for a more prominent Chinese role in global economic leadership. By most accounts, his remarks were well-received by the elite audience, many of whom are struggling with populist opposition to key features of the global order.
International politics abhors a vacuum, and it is into the breach left by the U.S. that Mr. Xi is directing his efforts. Encouraged by the perception of Obama-era retrenchment, the death of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and uncertainty about the scope and nature of Trump administration engagement, China stands to benefit from any American retreat from the world.
Read the full article at The Wall Street Journal.
More from CNAS
-
U.S., China, and Economic Warfare: A Conversation with Mr. Edward Fishman
Podcast
In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Mr. Edward Fishman, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins to discuss the evolving landscape of e...
By Edward Fishman
-
How a Tsunami Created the Quad
Video
A disaster in the Indian Ocean in 2004 brought together a powerful grouping of nations—Australia, India, Japan and the United States—that developed a diplomatic partnership ba...
By Lisa Curtis
-
The Superpower Has Left the Building: Munich 2025
Commentary
Behind the frustration and fears of abandonment lies a major question: What will — what can — Europe do about it?...
By Richard Fontaine
-
Top American Experts Ashley J Tellis And Lisa Curtis Decode Modi-Trump Bilateral On India Today
Video
Prime Minister Modi's visit to Washington DC aimed to establish India as a key partner for the United States. The leaders discussed defence cooperation, including potential F-...
By Lisa Curtis
