What a world led by China might look like

© Lee Snider | Dreamstime.com - Li An, China: Chinese Schoolchildren

Just as European struggles once shaped the world, now it is the turn of Asia – more specifically, China, according to this fascinating interview with FT foreign affairs analyst Gideon Rachman. The swing away from the west is being defined as a process of “easternisation” and with President Trump seemingly intent on turning the US inwards, long-term American allies are reassessing their standing. Australia has already undergone a shift, with China becoming a more important trading partner than the US. China’s prime minister recently told Canberra: “We don’t want to see you Australians taking sides in the US-China dispute.” Other countries find themselves on similar unsteady ground, which is likely to be exacerbated by Trump withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and allowing the Asian powerhouse to realign trade’s central orbit.