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THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM IN THE ERA OF GREAT POWER COMPETITION

Quite a few states can afford criticizing China because it can be sure that
Beijing will not leave it unanswered. The situation is perfectly illustrated by the
words of then German Chancellor Angela Merkel: “We can be as hard-wor-
king, as impressive, as super as we like - but with a population of 80 million we
won’t be able to keep up if China decides that it no longer wants to maintain
good relations with Germany. That’s how it will be all over the world” .
(13)
Although Germany is in an exceptional situation, it is a massively export-
oriented state, but Angela Merkel’s words are a good indication of the dilemma
with which Western European states usually face. This has resulted in a situa-
tion that the allies of the U.S. were willing to declare: China is a challenge, but
they would not be happy to go further than that. The new U.S. administration
took a sophisticated position on this understanding the delicate choice her allies
are facing. This was expressed clearly by Secretary of State Antony Blinken
upon his first visit at NATO: “The United States won’t force our allies into an
‘us or them’ choice with China ”. The Communiqué of the June 2021 NATO
(14)
summit reflected how far the consensus between the U.S. and European allies
may go and where the area of compromise lies. In addition to the way the
NATO Summit addressed China, the entire text of the Communiqué reflected
a compromise. To put it more controversially, it reflected that the European
NATO members may not fully share the view reflected in the U.S. NSS and
identify Russia and China as the main sources of threat. Instead, the text keeps
the Russia and China threat in balance with the danger of terrorism. On the
one hand, it outlined the dangers China’s behavior carried, including its military
cooperation with Russia in the Euro-Atlantic area but also indicated the need
to cooperate with Beijing in areas where it was possible . It remains to be seen
(15)
whether the reemergence of terrorism directed against the United States will
(16)
or will not drive Washington in the direction of the position of its European
allies.

(13) MERKEL, Angela, Speech by Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel on 16 February 2019 at
th
the 55 Munich Security Conference. München, February 16, 2019.
https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/speech-by-federal-chancellor-dr-angela-
merkel-on-16-february-2019-at-the-55th-munich-security-conference-1582318 Accessed
July 25, 2021.
(14) Reaffirming and Reimagining America’s Alliances. Speech by Antony J. BLINKEN, Secretary of
State, at NATO Headquarters Agora, Brussels, March 24. https://www.state.gov/reaffir-
ming-and-reimagining-americas-alliances/ Accessed July 27, 2021.
(15) Brussels Summit Communiqué Issued by the Heads of State and Government participating
in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels 14 June 2021. Press Release (2021)
086, points 55-6. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_185000.htm.
(16) Reference is made here to the current ISIS attacks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan in late
August 2021.

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