For many years, it was believed that US-China complex tensions would dominate global affairs. This is due to a decline in US power and growing China’s influence. However, in 2024, this concept of the experts has been proven wrong.
During the Joe Biden presidential era, he and his teammates viewed China as one of the major opponents. Biden paid attention to reducing the influence of China on US companies and strengthening strong US alliances in Asia. He continued the trade war with China that started in Trump’s era. For this purpose, Biden encouraged American businesses to not rely on China and to make strong partnerships with other nations.
This step in the Joe Biden era clearly impacted US -China economic ties. This led to a decrease in trade between the US and China from nearly $700 billion in 2022 to under $500 billion in 2024.
Due to many other issues such as the Gaza war, and Russia’s Ukraine war, the US-China complex relationship has become less central to global issues. However, the tension between the two nations remains the same, but it does not grab global attention as before.
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and after this invasion, the United States expected that China would play a key role in influencing Russian President Putin’s actions. However, by staying neutral in the UN vote, China supports Russia diplomatically. China has also made efforts with Russia to prevent Western sanctions. Both nations were trying to do this through groups like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Despite the expectations of Washington, China has not been playing a decisive role in shaping Russia’s war strategy.
However, other nations such as India and North Korea have played an important role. The trade rate of India with Russia increased, and it becomes US$66 billion in 2024. One of the biggest buyers of Russia’s crude oil is India. The nation imports more than a third of its oil. North Korea is the major supplier of weapons to Russia and helped it maintain its power in the military sector.
This highlights that instead of China, other nations played a major role in Russia-Ukraine and strongly supported Russia to increase its economic and military strength. Significant instability has changed the geopolitical landscape in recent years. Tensions in the
Middle East increased as a result of the war in Ukraine and Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon. China was not a major player in these crises, despite anticipation that it would act as a mediator, especially following its involvement in the Iran-Saudi Arabia agreement. The unrest also extended to Syria, where Israel was able to increase its influence due to the political vacuum created by the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. In the meantime, internal issues have consumed both the US and China. China is finding it challenging to reach its growth goals due to a slowing economy and a faltering real estate market.
Donald Trump’s recent win in the US signals a change in the country’s political landscape. Ultimately, rather than China’s ascent, the most notable trend in world geopolitics is the US’ conspicuous absence of significant developments. Concerns about the dependability of US assistance have caused Ukraine to change its approach, as evidenced by its increasing risk-taking, which includes hitting targets inside Russia. Ukraine might feel pressured to take more drastic measures in light of Trump’s transactional foreign policy style and congressional opposition that threatens to withdraw funds. Recent actions, such as the murder of a Russian general, which even US critics have questioned, demonstrate this change.
Because Israel consistently disregards Biden’s red lines, the US has found it difficult to regulate Israeli behavior in the Middle East. US influence is being marginalized in Syria as regional countries like Israel and Turkey take the lead. A world where regional countries are growing more assertive, taking chances, and bolstering their military capabilities without global deterrence is the result of the US’s general reduction in power. Instead of helping China, this change has given other regional actors more power, changing world politics and fostering a more competitive and chaotic order.
