Dance with the dragon
China is being increasingly associated with the fire-breathing dragon, which in Western mythology was usually regarded as a monster that had to be destroyed. Such fire dragons also exist in Asia. But the East Asian dragon is an ambivalent creature with predominantly positive qualities: a symbol of fertility, of wealth, auspiciousness, goodness and intelligence – and of imperial power.
Similarly ambivalent is the brand name ‘Belt and Road’, which stands for world-wide infrastructure development, billion-dollar investments and integration into a “community with a shared future”. On one hand, it promises ‘New Silk Roads’, linking it to a historical, supposedly Golden Age of an equitable, flourishing interchange between China and Europe. On the other hand, it is being interpreted as a seductive web in which participating countries become entangled and dependent on Beijing’s power ambitions.
China’s global reach in all areas has long since progressed to the point where the dance with the dragon is in full swing. The music for it is currently being written by a wide variety of composers. One of the basic rules for this dance: don’t step too firmly on the dragon’s feet.
Latest posts
- NATO on a risky courseSeveral military manoeuvres in the Asia Pacific region like Pacific Skies were a demonstration of the growing military cooperation between European NATO members, the US, and their allies in East Asia. Closer cooperation between the transatlantic alliance and partners in the Pacific region is seen by its proponents as a contribution to greater security through deterrence and mutual reinforcement, not only against China but also against North Korea and Russia. However, all the fanfare about NATO’s “Asia-Pacificisation” or Beijing’s insinuation of an „Asian NATO“ should not be taken too seriously, at least not for the time being.
- Newsletter 33/August-September 2024Contents: Expectations for FOCAC 2024 +++ NATO on a risky course +++ Blogroll Update: 9Dashline +++ People’s Map of Global China Updates +++ This is the last edition of the newsletter for the time being. After four years, my blog ‘China, Geopolitics and the Global South’ is taking a creative break. Uwe Hoering
- Newsletter 32/July 2024Contents: The next fuse in the South China Sea +++ Chinese investment in Latin America +++ Ups and Downs: Trade and investment +++ The Long March of the Chinese tomatoes +++ EACOP: In the postcolonial trap? +++ Review: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation +++ Blogroll: Dialogue Earth +++ Quote: Taiwan should pay
- Chinese investment in Latin AmericaIn the past decade, Chinese investment into Latin America has so often been characterised by large infrastructure projects: roads, railways, dams and ports, among others, frequently backed by state finance, and in many countries arriving under the banner of the Belt and Road Initiative. But in recent years, the nature of this investment has begun to change. While China continues to look to its Latin American partners for markets and key resources, it is now Chinese companies, rather than its lenders, that are the main protagonists of investment, with a focus on new technology sectors.
- The next Fuse in the South China SeaThe situation in the South China Sea is serious, but not hopeless. Serious because the skirmishes between China and the Philippines are tinkering with a new fuse for an explosive device. But not hopeless, because nobody here can really have any interest in a military conflict. It would only become really serious if the governments allowed themselves to be drawn into another regional war as a spin-off of the broader conflict between China and the USA.
- Newsletter 31/May-June 2024Contents: Renovation of the World Order +++ Eastern Wind in Central Asia +++ Invitations to the 9th ChinAfrica-Forum +++ BRICSplus: Further candidates for membership +++ China’s new Man in the World Bank +++ Readings: Dynamics of structural transformation +++ Gegengelesen: China bedroht Europa! +++ Quotes: War in Gaza: China wins! +++ Who makes the rules? +++ China’s Hand in Kanaky?