China thought to themselves, if America can do it, why can't we..
but, any U.S. defense firm with business interests in China has bigger problems than having their accounts seized by the Politburo Standing Committee; they're also liable for treason. any defense firm that bitches about the sanctions will draw unwanted scrutiny. so i don't think China's move carries too much pop..
the U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and oligarchs seem to have a bit more punch, although brutalizing India over its oil purchases is a bridge too far in my book. there should have been a better way to handle the matter that involves diplomacy. India is a natural U.S. ally and a key counterweight to China in Asia.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/...-weapons-sales
this is actually part of a larger trend. China is attempting to redefine the U.S. led western world order. they are attempting to end the era of the Pax Americana. how are they doing this?
Financial De-dollarization
China is actively working to reduce the global dominance of the U.S. dollar, which it views as a tool for Western sanctions and "weaponized" financial leverage.
Alternative Payment Systems: China is developing the BRICS Bridge, a blockchain-based payment system intended as an alternative to the Western-led SWIFT network.
Digital Yuan (e-CNY): Beijing has significantly expanded its Central Bank Digital Currency, facilitating over $7.3 trillion in transactions by 2025 to bypass dollar-based trade.
Oil and Commodity Settlements: By 2025, roughly one-fifth of global oil trade is settled in non-dollar currencies, with China completing its first cross-border oil payments in digital yuan.
Technological and Industrial "Self-Reliance"
Through initiatives like Made in China 2025, Beijing seeks to "kick the U.S. 100% out of its supply chains" and achieve dominance in critical sectors.
Critical Mineral Monopolies: China controls approximately 90% of the global supply for rare earth metals and magnets, which it has used as a chokepoint against Western defense and electronics industries.
Advanced Semiconductors: Despite U.S. sanctions, Chinese companies have made rapid gains in indigenous chip manufacturing, including a "Manhattan Project-style" effort to create advanced AI chips without Western equipment.
Leading Emerging Tech: By late 2025, China is seen as a near-peer or leader in AI (with models like DeepSeek), quantum communication, and biotechnology.
Diplomatic and Strategic Alliances
China is positioning itself as a "stabilizing anchor" for the Global South, offering an alternative to what it describes as Western interventionism.
BRICS Expansion: China has led the expansion of the BRICS alliance (now 10 members) to create a geopolitical counterweight to the G7.
The "Axis of Resistance": Beijing is strengthening ties with Russia, Iran, and North Korea, sharing defense technologies and building a shared industrial base resilient to Western sanctions.
"Wedging" Strategy: China uses economic partnerships in Europe and the Middle East to exploit rifts between the U.S. and its partners, encouraging nations toward "strategic autonomy" from Washington.
Military Modernization
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is designed to deter U.S. intervention and secure regional hegemony in the Indo-Pacific.
Naval Superiority: China now possesses the world's largest navy by ship count and in late 2025 operationalized its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, featuring advanced electromagnetic catapults.
Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD): China has stockpiled thousands of precision missiles and developed hypersonic weapons that exceed current Western capabilities, specifically designed to push U.S. forces away from its shores.
Military-Civil Fusion: Reforms implemented in 2024 and 2025 have intensified the integration of private-sector technology into defense sectors, particularly in AI-driven robotics and cyber warfare.
it's time for the U.S. to wake up and smell the coffee. China is nipping at our heels, and at this rate, it won't be long before..
China Takes a Page from America, Sanctions US Defense Firms and Principals Over Arms Sales to Taiwan
