China seen as ‘predatory power’ in emerging global landscape: Report

Brussels, May 23 (IANS) China is not merely a competitor but a “predatory power” in the international system that has “mastered the art of winning” without direct confrontation. While Western countries have spent decades focused on “globalisation” and “liberal reform”, Beijing has benefited from the gradual shift of the West’s industrial base to its own economy, a report mentioned. 

For Chinese President Xi Jinping, the weakening of the West is not a strategic goal but something that he watches unfold, said Konstantinos Bogdanos, a Greek politician and journalist, writing for the digital news website 'Brussels Signal'.

Highlighting the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, Bogdanos said, “On one side, we have the American president, a man who views geopolitics as a series of tactical deals and immediate shows of force – a true disciple of Thucydides (or, rather, of what the great historian attributes to the Athenians), believing that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. On the other side, we have the quiet emperor, who thinks in centuries, playing a game that is far more patient and lethal."

“While the cameras capture handshakes, witty exchanges and grand banquets, we must look at the strategic ghost haunting the room. There is an ancient Eastern proverb, often misattributed to Sun Tzu but rooted deeply in the Chinese strategic mind, which suggests that if you sit by the river long enough, you will eventually see the bodies of your enemies float by. This is the essence of modern China. They are not in a rush to go to war; they are waiting for the West to drown in its own decadence, its own debt, and its own ideological civil wars,” he added.

According to the expert, Trump’s visit to Beijing reflects an attempt to steer a “turbulent" relationship through personal diplomacy and economic pressure driven by the belief that China only respects strength.

“But even if a deal on trade or a temporary truce on Taiwan materialises, they will not be reversing the flow. China’s global expansionism – its bid to control European trade routes and African mines – is not a series of arbitrary business moves. It is the steady construction of a world where the West becomes a historical relic,” Bogdanos further stated.

He noted that from the Covid-19 pandemic to China’s social credit systems, Beijing has offered a clear view of its vision for the future – “a world without the individual, a world where the state is the only god.”

“While the EU issues strategic autonomy memos that nobody reads, China is busy ensuring that every solar panel and every electric car battery in Europe is provided by their Communist Party. They are waiting for us to become so dependent that ‘sovereignty’ becomes a word with no meaning,” Bogdanos said, raising concerns.