NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio — Tensions are rising between liberal democracies and liberal, autocratic China. The future will be one of great geopolitical conflicts filled with alliance formation, front-line public diplomacy, and the latest arms race (both conventional and cyber). Leaders must participate without fail.
China is trying to conquer the Asian continent like the United States first did in the American continent. In order to gain global supremacy, a country must first gain regional dominance; She can’t handle the affairs of the world if she has a dangerous neighbor in her surroundings and a constant look of conflict.
Since the Indo-Pacific region of Asia receives more than half of all international trade and production, China will be at the forefront of this region only to gain priority in the world. By gaining dominance in Asia, China will need to cut off important supply chains in the world just to force other countries to become traders. As 2021-22 shows, the world is interconnected, and even the smallest disruption in global supply chains can cause severe stress to national economies.
Apart from this, the Communist Party of China has the goal of eliminating the United States as the world’s major power in changing the existing international system, and creating its own kind.
After World War II, the United States and its allies established a liberal world order based on the rule of law, liberal economic interaction, democracy, and independence and freedom. This is a global system that is not compatible with the ruling ideology of the Chinese Communist Party. The CCP aims to create a world order modeled after China’s current state (ie, one of market restrictions, repression and surveillance, and a state-based economic system) to maintain power, efficiency, and sustainability. CCP.
China’s liberal political system is what the Chinese Communist Party is most afraid of, and the party has made great efforts to maintain and spread its power and national influence, to prevent this. Over the past decade, the CCP has become more aggressive in its military presence in the Indo-Pacific by rapidly developing its navy, and investing in military capabilities (eg, hypersonic ballistic missiles and alternative GPS, BeiDou) and competing in disputed territories. In addition, they are also making diplomatic moves in the region by building alliances and trying to undermine America’s strong alliances or alliances. They are trying to do this by giving their neighboring countries economic cooperation and investment.
Santana F. King, a former GOP primary candidate for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, is an international affairs consultant. (Photo by Christiana Anastasia McCarthy)
This is the most challenging aspect of this political contest between the United States and China. The Chinese are closer to the Indo-Pacific than its rival, the United States, and can easily observe ties to weaker Indo-Pacific states. China can offer services and invest without problems – even in a connected world, it is easy to do business with those who are close to provide / receive valuable capital.
This is alarming given the advantage geographical proximity gives China in the global technology/cyber competition. China has a high position in the field of economic technology of the states of the region. From this growing footprint, the Chinese will be able to assess and influence any regional state internet technology development, such as 5G, digital computing, and IoT (Internet of Things) systems. They can continue on their goal of providing an alternative government cyber space to the internet (Splinternet); and they can create strong partnerships to set new global standards for modern and emerging technologies.
This is a challenge for the US, since even the world’s hegemons cannot change the tectonic plates. This is why America’s regional partners (i.e., the alliance between the United States, Australia, Japan, and India: the Quad) are important to help contain China’s rise and help keep the world on track, not the rulers are not.
Santana F. King, a former Republican primary candidate for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, is an international affairs consultant for the US Cybersecurity and Intelligence Agency (CISA). The opinions expressed on this page are his own.
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