In one move, Beijing gets to disarm Washington of a rhetorical weapon while maintaining the mantle of leadership within the Global South
Through the lens of Mao Zedong’s protracted people’s war, this moment looks less like capitulation and more like the first stage of a longer campaign: strategic defensive. Mao’s theory of protracted war, which took shape during the second Sino-Japanese war, was a method of going from a position of weakness to eventual strength. The opening stage emphasised avoiding decisive battles, conserving resources and repositioning the political terrain to outlast a stronger adversary.
China has long worn the “developing country” badge at the WTO, a status that entitles members to special and differential treatment. These benefits include more extended implementation periods for trade commitments and, in some cases, exemptions from certain obligations.
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