Found this in a article reviewing the rise and fall of empires:
https://medium.com/@mikebyrne_16145/the-rise-or-decline-of-us-global-power-a-critical-look-at-alfred-mccoys-new-book-2ed9cdd437ff
This paragraph is intriguing:
"China’s grand strategy certainly isn’t your typical imperial grand
strategy, depending moreso on economic soft power than pure power
projection through military might. Nevertheless the strategy, if
implemented would clearly change the geopolitical power dynamics of the
world, and that obviously has some policymakers concerned in Washington.
One of the main post-World War II pillars of US empire is
“The Washington Consensus”,
a philosophical framework of global governance that emphasizes the
primacy of western financial and governance institutions in conducting
global politics. Institutions like the IMF, World Bank, and WTO are
products of this framework, and these institutions, along with military
alliances like NATO, have served to maintain a western-centric global
supremacy with the US government at the helm. China’s strategy looks to
reorient the entire landscape, shifting the epicenter of global
governance from a “unipolar” model, which emphasizes the need for a
single powerful hegemon, to a more “multipolar” model, which emphasizes
regional hegemons. Halford Mackinder once wrote that “Trans-continental
railways are now transmuting the conditions of land power,” and that
“…the century will not be old before all Asia is covered with
railways,”. He wrote this back in 1904, and due to the damage
accumulated in the wake of two world wars, it wouldn’t be until the next
century that his vision was realized. China by 2030 plans on linking
all of their major cities by high speed rail, while simultaneously
working with surrounding states to make the effort transcontinental.
Plans on constructing a “Eurasian Land Bridge” or a high speed rail line
that would go from
Chongqing to Leipzig, Germany in 20 days
is an example of one such ambitious project. Why is this significant?
China being able to ship via high speed rail allows it to circumvent
shipping lanes, most of which are patrolled by either the US navy or US
allies. Circumventing these shipping lanes gives the Chinese ability to
get around any obstacles that may arise if any diplomatic or
geopolitical tensions arise between China and the US. Chinese grand
strategy also involves the construction of a vast network of pipelines
for the purpose of importing oil and gas. One of the most significant
deals in this realm was between the China National Petroleum Corporation
(CNPC) and Russian state owned Gazprom. The deal was worth
$400 billion,
and it came during a time where Russia was facing increased sanctions
from the West due to its annexation of Crimea. Russia as a geostrategic
partner is essential for China’s implementation of their grand strategy.
As long as Russia is the primary boogeyman of the West, and keeping the
West bogged down in a two front proxy war in Syria and Ukraine, China
can simply step in strategically without getting their hands dirty while
continuing to implement what some in the US media are beginning to
refer to as China’s
“manifest destiny”.
China is also looking to end the monopoly on military alliances,
security alliances, and international economic institutions through
alliances such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organizations(SCO),
functioning as a Asian security alliance, and the establishment of the
Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), built in the likeness and
image of the IMF, and already has support from many countries, including
US allies like the UK, Australia, and South Korea"
It is also interesting to note that China is not wasting trillions on war-based adventures. It is now on a path to become free of all dependence on non-renewable energy sources. Pursuit of petroleum-based resources is what has fuelled most of the wars in the last 100 years, and is still at the heart of US foreign policy. China does not want to emulate this folly, when there is a better way achieve its security and wealth.