The part is few Asian nations or politicians want to form similar alliances with China. I have always said China needs to form alliances based on shared interests and values. These alliances needs to be based on more than just trade or Chinese loans.
Despite western moaning about China pursuing a ‘Wolf warrior’ kind of hard power diplomacy (one really wonders if any of the people using that term have even seen the film, as it’s quite laughable that anyone who has would use it in the pejorative way they use the term, as almost a stand-in for western style regime change and colonialism rolled into one), the reality is that China is still essentially following the same principle as set out by Deng of hiding one’s strength and biding one’s time.
The only difference is that China, under Xi, is actually staying more true to what Deng originally planned, which was to defend one’s interests vigorously, but not to go out looking for trouble (remember Deng was in charge for both the Sino-Vietnam wars and was famous for giving the British Iron Lady such a hard time during negotiations over HK she literally stumbled and fell afterwards); as opposed to the near total spinelessness of the Jiang and Hu years.
Which just goes to show the absolute futility of trying appeasement with the west, since they are all bullies at heart, so if you give them an inch as an act of goodwill, they will quickly grow to expect that as the norm, and just demand even more concessions for nothing in return and come to think that is the most normal and natural things in the world.
