China: The Global Hegemon Wannabe.

Here's another story about China's below the radar moves to establish itself as the next global superpower. This one describes the inroads the communist dictatorship is making in Africa. China's relations in Africa are not just focused on economics and getting access to natural resources. As the story explains, "In Africa, as in many other parts of the developing world, China is redrawing geopolitical alliances in ways that help propel China's rise as a global superpower."

A few months ago, this story revealed China's plans for navy bases from its homeland to the Middle East.

The conventional wisdom about China used to be that its strategic ambition was to assert itself as a regional power in East Asia. Its actions in recent years suggest it has ambitions much greater than that. If China were a democracy this wouldn't matter. But it's not and so it does. Much of the debate in the United States over defense needs for the 21st Century has focused on so-called asymmetric and unconventional warfare associated with failed states and terrorism. The ambitions of China's communist dictatorship are a reminder that future threats to the United States will come from traditional armies and navies as well. Which makes France's long-term strategy of strengthening its ties with China to create a counter-weight to the United States all the more reprehensible.


-tdr