As the world pivots to Asia, China has its own plans for this vast region and the world. Not satisfied with the options of either assimilating itself to the West or facing confrontation, Beijing is creating its own global system. CrossTalking with Douglas Paal, Daniel Wagner and Richard Weitz.

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A robot from AgiBot is seen during the Global Developer Conference, organized by the Shanghai AI Industry Association, in Shanghai on February 21, 2025. (Hector Retamal via Getty Images)