FOR AN ECONOMICand military giant, China is strangely drawn to pint-size diplomacy. Though it is a bully in its backyard, China is cautious farther from home. In such hotspots as the Middle East, it is transactional, self-interested and focused on business deals. Bluntly, China acts like a middle power, as if competing in the same league as Turkey or the United Arab Emirates.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Stealing China’s favourite foreign policy”
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