CommentWars in Middle East gave Beijing room to become economic and military challengerAn American flag seen on Sept. 9 in front of a backdrop of lower Manhattan, where the World Trade Center once stood. © ReutersHIROYUKI AKITASeptember 12, 2026 01:35 JSTTOKYO -- In the course of history, a brief moment can alter a decades-long trajectory. The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, which marked the beginning of the end of American unipolar dominance and helped accelerate China's rise, are a prime example.
How 9/11 accelerated China's rise and the decline of US hegemony
Wars in Middle East gave Beijing room to become economic and military challenger
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