Emboldened by US support, India is targeting Chinese smartphone companies after benefiting from their capital and technology. But India’s economic nationalism is not new and once its other industries have matured, more foreign corporations can expect the same fate.
Like many developing countries, Bangladesh is more focused on climate change, ending poverty and securing investment than choosing geopolitical sides. China has first-hand experience with many of the issues countries like Bangladesh are experiencing and can provide important guidance.
Few in Asia are interested in an exclusionary, self-serving framework with doubtful longevity that lacks market access facilities. As the world’s second-largest economy and the centre of Asia’s industrial and supply chains, China’s is confident it can deal with US containment efforts.
China is less interested in Afghanistan’s mineral wealth or its potential as part of the Belt and Road Initiative than in its security, especially in the regions bordering Xinjiang.