In comparison, China does not have this kind of elaborate network of alliances on its side. I believe there to be a few reasons for that but the primary one I see is a shift in foreign policy. More assertive China, with a coercive diplomacy and predatory financial lending practices, destroyed any hope of alliance building in the future. I believe many in the West chose to ignore the possibility that China may become more aggressive in the pursuit of its national interests, as it starts to grow economically. Deng Xiaoping’s era was marked by the promotion of China as an investor-friendly country and its foreign policy mirrored just that. West got complacent as it reaped the profits of globalization. Xi Jinping’s era has been marked as the complete opposite. West opened its eyes to the reality and now strategic “de-risking” will commence, in order to ensure the security of critical sectors of the western economies.

2) Foreign Policy:

American foreign policy changes with every Presidential administration and of course the strategic objectives change with it. One element however remained constant, from the end of the Cold War until today, even in the Trump years: American leadership on the global stage must be maintained. The backbone of this global leadership remain the alliances United States established, even at times when U.S. foreign policy objectives did not necessarily reflect the objectives of its allies. Why is this the case? Samuel Huntington, a Harvard political scientist, rightly noted: “A world without U.S. primacy will be a world with more violence and disorder and less democracy and economic growth than a world where the United States continues to have more influence than any other country in shaping global affairs.”

Chinese foreign policy, under the Xi Jinping leadership, got a new brand: “wolf warrior diplomacy”, which is exactly the moment when China lost any opportunity to out-compete the United States for the position of a leading global superpower. This way of coercive diplomacy pushes nation states away, instead of bringing them closer to one’s goals. Aggressive actions against its neighbors like expansions into South China Sea by establishing artificial islands and turning them into military bases and harassing fishermen, supporting the Russian war effort in Ukraine by providing Russia with needed materials to produce weapons as well as being more aggressive on Taiwan, makes the Western states think twice about conducting business with China. The West needs to follow through on its de-risking strategy by ensuring strategic businesses open new production facilities on Allied territory, in order to ensure economy/energy sector is not used by China as a weapon, like Russia did with Gazprom. Naturally this means some products will become more expensive but that is a small price to pay for ensuring stability.

3) U.S. Cultural Appeal:  

The United States is a land of opportunity, where you can be anything you want to be, if you try hard enough. Or at least, that’s how it was portrayed in Hollywood films. I personally have found it to be true, even at the present time when American society is extremely polarized. America focuses on individual freedoms, rule of law, democracy and human rights. Its spirit is entrepreneurial and it attracts self-driven and ambitious people from all over the world. Silicon Valley is the global hub for high-tech and innovation. America is leading in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) development due to its sourcing of talent and youth empowerment.