Cina, as we knew it, is no more. And the new Cina is more dangerous than any we’ve seen before

 

Cina, as we knew it, is no more. And the new Cina is more dangerous than any we’ve seen before

 

It’s no longer a country with a quickly growing economy, senior correspondent Linette Lopez writes. Instead, in its place is an increasingly authoritarian government and a withering economy — that could take the rest of the world down with it. 

 

President Xi Jinping's China has a teetering property sector and an aging population. His willingness to attack industries and box out foreign investments poses a threat to the world's financial stability. China’s desire for reunification with Taiwan puts geopolitical stability at risk.

 

So Beijing's economic miracle machine has run out of steam, though that hasn't curtailed its ambitions. And as its economy weakens, it will be less able to use its economic might to persuade or coerce other nations to accept its behavior. 

 

That could push Beijing to even more aggressive action using a more modernized, capable military, for example. In a world without carrots, all you have left are the sticks.