Transformation of China’s Foreign Policy in the De-Globalization Phase: Seeking Balance Between Openness and Protection of National State Interests

The article examines China’s evolving foreign policy amidst declining globalization. China’s export-driven model faced challenges after the financial crisis of 2008 and during the 2020 to 2022 pandemic. More recently, there is an urgent need for a balance between openness and protectionism in order to transition to internal sources of development. Western countries’ failures to deal with the pandemic present additional opportunities for China to exert influence in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The article compares U.S. and Chinese geopolitical and geoeconomic influence, questioning the future of global governance and stability amid structural dysfunctions.