How Not to Win Allies and Influence Geopolitics.

INTERNATIONAL relations; INTERNATIONAL trade; INTERNATIONAL economic relations; XI, Jinping, 1953-; TWENTY-first century

The article examines the self-defeating economic statecraft of China which allowed it to buy goodwill and influence. Topics discussed include how China weaponized its expanding trade relations after it overtook the U.S. as the top global trader in 2013, the practical and immediate objectives of the government of President Xi Jinping, and the possibility that China's aggressive foreign policy would undermine the positive lure of economic engagement.