Reference News Network, October 19 report: The German "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" website published an article titled "China, Not Trump's Washington, Is the True World Power" on October 16. The author is Sebastian Heilmann, a China expert at the University of Trier in Germany. Excerpts from the article are as follows:
A scene long seen as something that would appear in the mid-21st century is now indicating it will occur by the end of this decade: China rising as a dominant world power.
Ironically, it is Washington itself that has paved the way for its competitor. "America First" policies have offended allies, weakened alliances, and reduced the appeal of the United States.
Owing to erratic domestic and foreign policies, the United States no longer appears reliable. The United States, once a model of liberal democracy and market economy, is losing its appeal globally. Meanwhile, the Chinese government benefits from its predictability and cooperative stance. In a turbulent world, China's image of reliability is more appealing than Western commentators are willing to admit. According to the latest survey, China's popularity is now higher than that of the United States in most countries around the world and many European societies. China's "soft power" is constantly increasing.
Notably, U.S. and European media almost exclusively focus on China's weaknesses. These reports obscure the changing global balance of power and the advantages China holds when competing with the increasingly declining old Western order.
The rise of China as a global leader is not a vague future scenario, but is reflected in concrete facts.
China has long become the global industrial center. Its engineering projects cover all regions. Many ports, transportation networks, energy and communication infrastructure, as well as data centers and cloud computing networks are dominated by China.
Outside the digital sphere led by the United States, China is establishing an independent system of digital standards, platforms, and infrastructure—ranging from satellite internet, 5G to artificial intelligence applications, which are particularly in high demand in the Global South market.
China dominates in solar energy, battery technology, and new smart grid fields. Providing low-cost, high-performance energy and climate technologies will win China widespread global recognition.
Through large-scale investments in education and research in natural sciences and engineering technology, continuous growth in the number of patents, and the formation of emerging innovation clusters, China is establishing its position as a technological superpower. In almost all future fields—whether new materials, biomedicine or robotics—China has caught up with or even surpassed its international competitors.
For years, China has been rapidly advancing military modernization. The U.S. military technological advantage is no longer solid.
If the U.S. and Europe still regard China as weak, they are merely deceiving themselves. The so-called "sick man" is actually the United States and Europe, which are losing stable internal affairs, geopolitical credibility, industrial competitiveness, and strategic unity.
In the coming years, if one continues to rely solely on the United States as a leading force, it is ignoring the fundamental shift in power in this era. Europeans must break away from the old worldview and be ready to accept the fact that the center of shaping the world order will increasingly shift toward China. (Translated by Jiao Yu)
Night view of Shanghai's Lujiazui area taken on April 30 (Xinhua News Agency)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562762413448118818/
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