China: Threat or Hope

China has undergone a colossal transformation in the last thirty years. A gigantic change for which, however, there is hardly any space in the Western media. A state that is close to overtaking the US as the world' s leading economic power, has lifted more than 800 million people out of extreme poverty, has increased its renewable energy production fivefold in ten years and is now prioritising reducing the social differences created by the market economy. The Western press tries to tarnish these achievements, as China' s pragmatic approach risks setting an example for countries trapped in the deadlock of underdevelopment and inequality. It also whips up fears of China' s resurgence, willfully ignoring the fact that the millennia-old Middle Kingdom has never shown any expansionist will and has only rarely waged war. Only with an accurate understanding of what China is today can we tackle the task of ensuring that its unstoppable rise becomes a fundamental pillar of a new, more just and peaceful world order.