What to do about China’s “sharp power”
China is manipulating decision-makers in Western democracies. The best defence is transparency
WHEN a rising power challenges an incumbent one, war often follows. That prospect, known as the Thucydides trap after the Greek historian who first described it, looms over relations between China and the West, particularly America. So, increasingly, does a more insidious confrontation. Even if China does not seek to conquer foreign lands, many people fear that it seeks to conquer foreign minds.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Sharp power”
From the December 16th 2017 edition
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