China’s narrative over the last decade has been built on being the “good partner.” But when the chips are down, the West uses its vast wealth to outbid everyone else for expensive energy cargoes. Westerners might complain about the price of mangoes or watermelons, but for the rest of the world, we are talking about basic caloric survival.
Beijing’s silence proves it is either unwilling or unable to provide a substitute for the global order. If you don’t protect your economic partners during a crisis, you are a “fair-weather friend.” The brand of China as the leader of the Global South is cracking. What is the value of proximity to Beijing if it won’t lift a finger while trade routes are paralyzed?
China’s current stance reveals a sobering reality: Beijing recognizes its military constraints. It wants all the dividends of globalization without paying the insurance premiums.
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