- Gone are the days when the unipolar world used to be dominated by the sole superpower in the form of the United States of America concerning world affairs. Yes, the cold war era had the USA and Russia battling it out much to the chagrin of the global community. Now, the geopolitical and geostrategic scenario has changed dramatically after the pandemic and the ongoing conflict between Russia-Ukraine took off. As the matter stands presently, the USA is no longer considered the sole superpower even as China with its economic might tries to position itself as an alternative global power centre. The global community is aware Beijing pursues its global expansionist ambitions with intransigence, aggressiveness, and blatant disregard for opinions.
PC: Freepik
- China’s phenomenal growth witnessed over the last three decades is behind for sure. It is visible that Beijing is struggling to ensure sound economic growth in the face of mounting challenges domestically as well as internationally. However, China’s clout cannot be ignored either. The recent truce between Iran and Saudi Arabia with both nations agreeing to reestablish diplomatic ties certainly took many by surprise. Particularly because it was mediated by China, a country hitherto not known for its peace-making skills. As mentioned above, it is a sign of Beijing’s growing ambitions that it was willing to get involved in the tricky Middle East with its multiple sectarian and political fault lines. Not an easy roleplay to essay.
- For the uninitiated, over the past decade, Iran and Saudi Arabia have engaged in multiple proxy conflicts in the wake of the Arab spring upheaval to increase their strategic footprint in the region. The most brutal of these has been the conflict in Yemen where Iran-backed Houthis have frustrated the Saudi-UAE military intervention in that country. But hit with crippling sanctions, which followed when Trump unilaterally reneged on the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, and now facing domestic anti-hijab protests, Tehran needed strategic breathing space. While Riyadh’s testy relationship with the Biden administration, especially over Ukraine, gave it a reason to spread out its strategic bets. Cunning China simply took advantage of the situation between the rivals.
PC: Freepik
- The idea is to project itself as an alternative dealmaker to the US. Of course, this serves Beijing’s commercial interests as it sources more than 40% of its energy needs from the Gulf. However, whether the Iran-Saudi deal survives and China’s new role sustains remains to be seen. Also, China’s debt-trap diplomacy has affected nations as diverse as Sri Lanka and Uganda. Even the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has run into serious problems. This means there are limits to Beijing’s strategic outreach. India should take this opportunity to step up its international strategic outreach in tandem with countries like the US and Japan. Needless to mention, New Delhi must prepare for long-term strategic powerplay to stay relevant and a trustworthy global player.
