China Builds Self-Reliance to Fill US Leadership Vacuum as 7-member elite backs long game
Updated
Updated · The Atlantic · May 11
China Builds Self-Reliance to Fill US Leadership Vacuum as 7-member elite backs long game
4 articles · Updated · The Atlantic · May 11
Beijing is avoiding a direct challenge to Washington even as U.S. political division, strained alliances and a Persian Gulf war feed its view that America is declining.
That restraint reflects a long-game strategy: fortify Communist Party control, cut reliance on foreign pressure points, and make the world more dependent on Chinese technology, manufacturing and clean energy.
Wang Huning — now on the 7-member Politburo Standing Committee — helped shape the view that U.S. social fragmentation and political dysfunction contain the seeds of American decline.
China is trying to bend, not overthrow, the postwar order by promoting practical partnerships over U.S.-led alliances and arguing that growth matters more than Western political values.
The bet faces risks from trade barriers abroad, resistance from neighbors including Japan and Taiwan, and domestic strains such as deflation, mounting debt, slowing growth and record youth unemployment.
Can China's ambition for global leadership survive its looming demographic and debt crises?
Is America's military focus abroad unintentionally accelerating China's patient strategy for global dominance?
As China builds its tech empire, can the world avoid becoming dependent on its AI and green energy?
China’s 2026 Strategic Pivot: Economic Self-Reliance, Military Purges, and the Quest for Global Leadership
Overview
China is building a modern industrial fortress to boost self-reliance and global competitiveness in response to rising geopolitical tensions and external shocks, such as the recent energy crisis from the Middle East conflict. Despite years of preparation, China was caught off guard by this energy shock, highlighting the urgency of its strategy. Beijing now sees energy independence—especially through clean energy dominance and control of global supply chains—as essential for gaining an edge over the United States. This approach combines technological development with efforts to secure strategic advantages in an increasingly unpredictable world.