The Cannibalisation of allies and partners by the Trump administration highlights the increasing importance of China and its stabilising role for both the world economy and multilateralism.

In the period from 1945, the US dominated global manufacturing with over 50% of the world’s total output.

The US domination was manifest in its preponderant military and industrial complex,

but it also began to decline almost immediately as the US attempted to subordinate the world economy and political activities to its own global vision of hegemony.

And then there was the 1949 communist revolution and the imposition of a bamboo curtain by the Americans as they reneged on their Cairo declaration and decided to not return Taiwan directly to China.

Get full access to ASEAN Chair at aseanchair.substack.com/subscribe