China Is Sabotaging the World That Enables Its Rise

This analysis from the Hoover Institution argues that China's rise has been achieved through exploitation of the U.S.-led liberal order, not despite it. Following state visits by Trump and Putin to Beijing in May, Chinese state media emphasized symbolic tribute to Xi Jinping over substantive outcomes, reinforcing Beijing's narrative of restored centrality. The authors contend that China now undermines the very systems that enabled its ascent—consolidating supply chains, overproducing industrial goods, and brushing off Western complaints. Beijing's dual strategy of exploiting openness while eroding foundations risks provoking countermeasures from the U.S. and Europe. The piece highlights a paradox: China's continued success depends on the openness of the economies it seeks to surpass, and its road to a post-Western order still runs through the West.