Beijing argued at the Munich Security Conference that it is a reliable global partner, reiterating a well-worn narrative aimed at garnering influence amid US chaos.
Much of the defense summit was focused on the breakdown of the transatlantic alliance: The US secretary of state did not mention China in his speech, and remarks by Beijing’s foreign minister garnered fewer headlines than previously.
Beijing is enjoying that silence, the South China Morning Post wrote, and is hoping to seize on US-Europe tensions to make inroads with Washington’s allies.
Yet even as China presents itself as a stable alternative, the country is expanding its nuclear arsenal, The New York Times reported, readying for “a new age of superpower rivalry.”