As Trump turns world order upside down, could China’s belt and road lead the way?
It is China’s moment to shine as the US disrupts the post-World War II order, but there may be challenges ahead, analysts say
But the same isolationist drive might also give Beijing’s strategy a boost, analysts say, as the US goes from being an architect of the existing world order to its main disrupter instead, potentially unleashing an era of the survival of the fittest.
Still, one observer warned that while China might be able to unlock new “strategic opportunities” under its belt and road infrastructure and investment plan, overseas Chinese interests were likely to face continued challenges, particularly in the Indo-Pacific and Latin America.
China’s rise and growing global influence have often seen it portrayed as a revisionist power by American policymakers, both Republican and Democrat. They accuse Beijing of seeking to overturn the existing world order, to rewrite international rules to its advantage and build a sphere of influence through economic and military dominance. This view is widely shared by US allies as well.