China’s global ambitions are rooted in the allure of an ancient concept for the Chinese people—the Middle Kingdom, envisioning China as a divinely appointed ruling nation that is central and superior to others. In the Art of War, Sun Tzu crystallized this idea into the ideal of a benevolent Chinese emperor conquering the entire world—Tianxia, or All-Under-Heaven—without violence or destruction.
But trust the communists to twist the very antithesis of Marxism — a God-based, imperialistic idea — to serve their own designs. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), positions himself as central to a Chinese world order “that will surpass and supplant the Westphalian system” by 2049. Therefore, his actions must be viewed in light of Tianxia.
A year after he came to power in 2012, he launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an ambitious investment in infrastructure aimed at connecting East Asia and Europe. This initiative has since expanded to Africa, Oceania, and Latin America. The BRI must be recognized for what it is: a covert, long-term operation for military expansion and strategic presence.
Through BRI’s extensive loans and assistance in building ports and highways, China has gained significant economic and political influence in nearly 150 of the 193 U.N. member countries. The U.S. and its allies must prepare for China transforming such vast influence into military advantages, as it has already done in many areas. In confronting the dragon, we must remain wary of its winding tail.
China’s influence-mongering is ideology-agnostic. If a country aligns with China’s strategy to displace the U.S. as a global power, the type of regime—whether fascist, authoritarian, Islamist, or communist—matters little. In fact, writes Col. John Mills (Ret.), China has primarily partnered with countries where regimes are insecure and individual rights are non-existent—much like in China.
He claims that Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Pakistan, and South Africa are all now “de facto colonies of China.” At the same time, he points out that China aims to dominate the U.N. and other international organizations. In this struggle, he argues that the efforts of those advocating for a free world have been undermined by globalist elites who pander to China when it benefits them.
China’s strategic activities in Africa and the Middle East over the last two and a half decades serve as a case study of how the dragon operates. The advantages China has gained now threaten U.S. interests in the Horn of Africa, which includes Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, and provides significant control over the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean.
What began as ideological support for African countries seeking independence in the 1950s and 1960s gradually evolved into infrastructure projects, notably the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia railway in the 1970s. More significant engagement commenced in 2000. By 2009, China had emerged as Africa’s top trading partner; by 2023, China had overtaken the U.S. in trade with 52 of the 54 African countries.
Chinese ventures into the Horn of Africa began in 2017 with the establishment of a military base in Djibouti, a country through which one-third of global shipping passes on its way to the Suez Canal. The U.S., Japan, Saudi Arabia, and France also maintain bases in the area. China uses its base to resupply naval forces in the Gulf of Aden, evacuate personnel, and conduct exercises alongside Russia and Iran.
When the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea began in October 2023, in support of Hamas’s assault on Israel, resulting in a 75% decline in international shipping, the U.S. aimed to neutralize the missile and drone strikes and retaliate against the Yemen-based attackers from Djibouti. However, the country denied permission, reportedly due to Chinese influence.
According to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Chang Guang, a CCP-linked satellite tech company, “is directly supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on U.S. interests.” This may indicate that the company is providing satellite imagery and bearings to assist the Houthis in targeting merchant and naval ships in the Red Sea.
What is alarming is that China has even established deep ties with Egypt, a U.S. ally. Recently, China and Egypt conducted a joint air force drill — “Eagles of Civilization 2025” — in which China’s latest multirole fighter jets, refuelers, and early-warning aircraft participated. Clearly, American influence in Egypt is waning while Chinese influence is gaining strength.
An opinion piece in the Daily News Egypt captured the mood in the country, asserting that the U.S. has been committed to allowing Israel to maintain military supremacy, which has enabled it to dictate for decades what weapons Egypt may possess and how it may defend itself. The drills with China, it noted, represented a declaration of sovereignty, of no longer being “a second-tier ally in its own region.”
The Jerusalem Post notes that Egypt’s outreach to Iran, its silence on Hamas, and the increase in weapons smuggling by drones into Sinai suggest that Cairo is distancing itself from the U.S. This poses a danger to Israel. Caches of recently manufactured Chinese weapons were discovered in Hamas tunnels along Israel’s border with Egypt.
It appears that the U.S. may be losing its grip on the Suez Canal. Following China’s “unrestricted warfare” strategy, a Chinese-led international consortium is developing a container terminal at the Egyptian port of Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea, which is set to begin operations this year. The company also manages the Alexandria and El Dhekelia ports. Furthermore, a Chinese steel company is planning to establish an industrial complex in the area. The CCP cannot be far behind.
China has also built relations with Iran, whose global Hezbollah and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps networks could be advantageous for espionage and sabotage. This cooperation arose from a 25-year agreement to purchase large quantities of Iranian oil at a substantial discount. In exchange, China will invest $400 billion in Iran.
This is already affecting Israel directly: Chinese military engineers have assisted Iran-backed Hamas in constructing their tunnel networks beneath Gaza; Chinese equipment has been discovered within them, and the CCP has hosted the Hamas and Al Fatah leadership in Beijing.
Qatar and Turkey are vital to China’s interests in the Gulf, where India, perceived by China as an enemy, wields considerable influence. The Abraham Accords — whereby Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan have agreed to normalize relations — are regarded as a threat by both China and Iran. Consequently, China is leveraging Qatar and Turkey’s eagerness to establish ties with it to extend the BRI into the Gulf. Meanwhile, it employs Turkey to encourage Pakistan to escalate tensions with India.
To its south, China has consistently made intrusive forays into Indian, Nepalese, and Bhutanese territory. During the recent Indo-Pakistan crisis, China aligned itself with Pakistan. It has further provoked India by assisting Bangladesh in reviving a World War II-era airstrip near India’s Chicken’s Neck corridor, which is now vulnerable to being cut off from both the north and the south.
All this may seem like a tedious list of places where China has steadily—though mostly without direct conflict—gained advantages. However, it must be viewed through a defining framework of Chinese strategic thinking: the game of weiqi, which clearly illustrates this process. When the time is right, the entire board will yield to the patient, superior player with the placement of a single stone in a remote corner.
As Kenneth Fan, who ran a consulting firm in China for over 20 years and was consulted by one of Xi’s strategy advisers, warned in 2023: with the dragon, and especially with Xi, it’s never about Taiwan, or Pakistan, or Iran, or any other country. It is always about world domination. It is always about Tianxia.
American Thinker
Jesus Christ is King
Comments are closed.