Xi Jinping is attempting to "construct an alternative world order" in which Beijing sits at the center and is propped up by fellow anti-democratic states, such as Russia and North Korea, according to the latest findings of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Why it matters: Such a friends-with-benefits network — as cutthroat as it may be — complicates the calculus of Washington and other capitals across the West.
- Beijing's long-term plan transcends sectors, industries and borders.
Driving the news: The commission published its annual report this month. It's a hefty read; the final product is more than 700 pages long, with dozens of recommendations offered. They include:
Studying China's support for the Russian war machine — including economic and technological aid as well as intelligence-sharing and cyber operations — and widely disseminating the findings.
- "Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea have rapidly deepened their cooperation," the study reads.
- "A Russian collapse would significantly alter the global balance of power, weakening China's influence and strategic position."
Increasing funding for the U.S. Space Force to "establish space superiority against" China's counter-space arsenal, plus improving space wargaming and simulations.
- "If we agree that space is a warfighting domain, then we have to make sure we have the infrastructure so that our Guardians are able to operate in that space," commissioner Michael Kuiken told Axios.
- Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman in September told reporters he wanted to put aggressor satellites in orbit to mimic adversary tactics in training situations.
Assessing U.S. capacity to respond to gray-zone aggression, especially in and around Taiwan, and reinforcing the Philippines as it deals with harassment on the seas and in cyberspace.
- China's People's Liberation Army entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone "a staggering 3,075 times in 2024," according to the commission.
- Beijing "is trying to find excuses to ramp up aggression against Taiwan," Taipei's Ambassador Alexander Yui told Axios in October.
- Separately, a China Coast Guard cutter and a PLA Navy destroyer in August rammed each other as they pestered other boats. Footage distributed by Manila went viral.
Zoom out: President Trump said Monday that he'd visit China at the invitation of Xi, who will visit the U.S. later in 2026.
- "Our relationship with China is extremely strong!" Trump shared on Truth Social. "This call was a follow up to our highly successful meeting in South Korea, three weeks ago."
The bottom line: "The Chinese Communist Party leadership has for a long time seen itself engaged in a struggle — with the United States, in particular, with the West, more generally," commissioner Aaron Friedberg told Axios.
- "It has in recent years, I think, believed that its position in that rivalry was getting stronger."
