From the way global discussions are progressing these days, you would think China is all set to take over from the United States as the leader of the world.
Sustained talk of American decline, quiet acquiescence of the same within sections of the US political and academic establishment, and the perceptible weariness gripping the American populace have all contributed to this sentiment.
Notions of US retrenchment from the world would have proceeded apace even without Donald Trump's election as the 45th president of the United States.
Concurrently, China's One Belt and One Road initiative and its propelling of an Asian Bank amid wider expectations of Chinese assumption of greater international responsibilities have dominated the international discourse.
But such talk is also characterized by extremes. While the 'China threat' has been hyped for quite some time, Beijing itself is playing down any ability or desire to replace the United States as a global leader any time soon. And therein lies the uncertainty.
Does it all really depend on China's moment of choosing? Or the does this creative ambiguity serve the purpose of everyone?
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