Many people in the West tend to view the expansion of China’s influence in the Middle East through the lens of great power rivalry. China rejects this concept, and its diplomatic efforts have helped to prevent the escalation of regional crises.

The organization has become an instrument of U.S. hegemony that creates confrontation. The NATO Declaration’s statements about China are loaded with bias, stigma and provocation at a time when the world really needs a force for peace and stability.

An increasing focus by the military alliance on the so-called China challenge and a pivot to the Asia-Pacific could mean that China will face an increasingly difficult strategic environment. It is essential, therefore, to exercise caution so that tensions in avoidable areas do not escalate.

Humans are a tool-making species, but can we control the tools we make? When Robert Oppenheimer and other physicists developed the first nuclear fission weapon in the 1940s, they worried that their invention might destroy humanity. Thus far, it has not, but controlling nuclear weapons has been a persistent challenge ever since.

In just two years, China has facilitated cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran; now between Fatah and Hamas. Over time, that could pave the way to peace in the Middle East, after eight decades of unwarranted violence.

Chinese policies impacting the security of the North Atlantic region, which extends from Europe and North America to the Arctic and the Mediterranean, invariably deepen NATO’s interest in Indo-Pacific stability.

The U.S. and Philippine annual Balikatan military exercise is an opportunity for the alliance to show its strength, while China chooses the occasion to respond with its own brand of defiance. If the exercise can not deter incursions into Philippine territory, what might com e next?

China has positioned itself as a leading force in reshaping the global order, advocating for a multipolar world. However, its current stance on the invasion of Ukraine may undermine this long-term project, casting doubt on its commitment to the principles it promotes.

A growing number of voices warn of a coming global conflict of catastrophic proportions. Such messages must be interrupted. The world must not sleepwalk into war. As it moves to the center of the world stage, China not only calls for peace but actively plans it.

The Philippines is at a crucial juncture right now, as the U.S. and China jockey for influence over the strategic waters surrounding the nation. Under new leadership favoring the West, the Philippines risks entangling itself in an escalating struggle between the two global powers.