Gilles Guiheux, Université Paris Cité; Guo Ye, Université Paris Cité; Ke Huang, Université Paris Cité; Li Jun, Université Paris Cité; Manon Laurent, Université Paris Cité, and Renyou Hou, Université Paris Nanterre – Université Paris Lumières
In China, as elsewhere, the pandemic has turned the world of work upside down.
The removal of distinctive ‘Arabian-style’ features at the entrance to one of China’s biggest mosques is the latest move in a campaign of forcible assimilation of China’s Muslim minorities.
Did the U.S. cave to China’s exercise in hostage diplomacy when it signed a plea deal with a Huawei executive that resulted in freedom for the two Michaels? Or was it China that miscalculated badly?
The region is already arming at the fastest rate in the world, but China and other nations can be expected to respond to AUKUS by further expanding their militaries.
The swiftness of the Chinese action to free the two Michaels signalled an important message to the world from the governing Chinese Communist Party: Don’t mess with us.
The Quad wants to show that liberal democracies can deliver solutions to the greatest challenges of our time — a way of countering China’s ambitions in the region.
The perception in France of a reversal of strategy is in fact a coherent move for Australia, in line with 200 years of Australian diplomatic tradition – for better or worse.
While all eyes are on China’s response to the new AUKUS security pact, Russia matters, too. After all, it has its own nuclear submarines that could now be marketed all over the region.
Fourteen years after the Quad was first conceived, its leaders will meet for the first time face-to-face this week. China will dominate the conversations.