With space created as the US under Trump’s leadership pivots away from multilateralism to be more inward-looking, Xi Jinping rose to assert Chinese leadership.
“The fact that America cannot rise to the occasion [to play the role of global leader], means that Jinping uses that space to make a case about Chinese leadership”, said Pant.
“Xi came across as a defender of free trade, and multilateralism even though his international and domestic persona are very, very different,” said Sahar.
“Trump has given him so much space to play the role of a statesman, that despite all the troubles he is creating around the world,” even though he may have asserted some claims that do not work in congruence with the reality of China, he added.
There is a third space for India, Pant argued. India must capitalise on the lack of global leadership, making a place for itself, explained Pant.
“It is…